School Holiday Schedule in Madhya Pradesh: Winter Vacation Alters Holiday Dates!

The state government's introduction of a new winter vacation schedule for the 2023-2024 academic session has resulted in varying holiday schedules across the state. This change, implemented last year, will continue into the 2024-2025 academic session, causing a noticeable divide in vacation dates between government and private schools, including those affiliated with the MP Board and CBSE.

The new calendar has created overlapping and consecutive breaks, where missionary school vacations end when government school holidays start. For example, Campion School in Bhopal and St. Joseph's Convent School have decided to continue with their traditional holiday schedules. Campion School, for instance, will keep the school closed from Dec 21 to January 1. St. Joseph's Convent School will remain off from December 24 to January 1. However, government schools have started their holidays on dates after December 31 as prescribed in the revised schedule ordered by Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on December 18, 2023.

According to BJP MLA from Huzur, Rameshwar Sharma, the move of the government is a benefit to citizens. He argued that giving holidays for every festival would be impractical, given the numerous festivals across different religions. "If the government started giving holidays for every festival, there are so many festivals of different religions how many holidays can we provide?" Sharma questioned.

The winter holiday dates differ in every school, and most of them will be taking holidays from January 1 to 4, 2024. Some schools, such as Campion School and St. Joseph's Convent School, however, have taken different dates for their holidays. The government schools will begin their holidays after December 31.

The changes in the academic calendar have raised concerns about its effects on students and teachers. Some schools follow the new schedule while others stick to their old holiday dates. The government's restriction on holidays has sparked debate in which some argue that this benefits citizens, while others do not know what impact this will have on education.

The new winter holiday schedule has created a rift between government and private schools. Holidays falling on different dates force the students and teachers to adapt. The coming academic session will see how the new schedule shapes up for the education sector.

Also read: December 6 Holiday in Mumbai: Special Arrangements for Mahaparinirvan Diwas