Martyrs’ Day rally: Several schools in Kolkata to remain shut or go online today

Kolkata: A large number of private schools across Kolkata will remain closed or shift to online classes on Monday, July 21, in anticipation of traffic snarls due to the Trinamool Congress’ (TMC) Martyrs’ Day rally at Esplanade.

With thousands expected to gather in the heart of the city for the political event, key roads and intersections are likely to experience severe congestion throughout the day. As a precautionary measure, many schools have either declared a holiday or opted for virtual learning to spare students and staff the inconvenience of navigating traffic-choked streets.

Institutions such as St. James’, Loreto House, Calcutta Girls’, Pratt Memorial, Delhi Public School (DPS) Ruby Park, DPS Megacity, Abhinav Bharati, Loreto Day School Dharamtala and St. Lawrence High School will remain closed for the day. Shri Shikshayatan School and The Heritage School have also announced closures—Shri Shikshayatan for Classes VI to XII and Heritage for all classes from pre-nursery to Class XII. To compensate for the disruption, both schools will function on Saturday, July 26, as a regular working day.

Explaining the decision, Sangeeta Tandon, Principal of Shri Shikshayatan School, said: “Our students and staff commute via the Exide Crossing, which is expected to be heavily affected. Hence, we have declared Monday a non-instructional day and will hold regular classes on Saturday instead.” While several schools are shutting down entirely, others have opted for online classes. Calcutta Boys’ High School, La Martiniere for Boys and Girls, Assembly of God Church School, Birla High School, Sushila Birla Girls’ School, Birla High School Mukundapur and The BSS School will conduct online classes on Monday.

A notice issued by La Martiniere for Boys stated: “Owing to the political rally scheduled for Monday, there will be online classes from Lower Nursery to Class XII. The unit test for Classes 6 to 12, scheduled for the same date, will now be held on Tuesday, July 22.” Supriyo Dhar, Secretary of the La Martiniere Schools, said: “After school ends, students will be returning home well into the afternoon. At that time, they might face trouble due to traffic congestion. Hence, we’ve decided to keep the school closed and shift to online mode to ensure academics are not disrupted.”