Primary Edu Board curtails 2024 Durga Puja holidays

Kolkata: It’s time to bid goodbye to the month-long holiday from Durga Puja till ‘Bhai Phonta’ in primary schools across the state from 2024 calendar year.

There will be a total of 15 days of holidays in two phases during the festive month.

About 11 days of holiday will be on account of Durga Puja and Lakshmi Puja (from October 7 till October 18) and then the schools will open up for some days. They will again have 4 days of holidays during Kali Puja and ‘Bhai Phonta’ from October 31 till November 4.

The West Bengal Board of Primary Education (WBBPE) has been allowing a month-long holiday during the Durga Puja.

WBBPE’s list of holidays published for the calendar year 2024 has revealed that the total number of holidays, including the summer vacation and the puja, will be 65. There will be 19 days of holiday from May 13 to June 6

during summer.

“We want to increase the number of classes in schools. The students of primary schools particularly from those in rural areas have a tendency to indulge in studies in school rather than in their residences. So, in between the Lakshmi Puja and the Kali Puja, we want them to come to schools and take part in sports activities which are now an integral part in schools,” Goutam Pal, Chairman of WBBPE said.

The holiday list will be effective for primary/ junior basic schools of Bengal. There are over 48000 primary schools in the state.