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Special Education and State Reporter, Lucknow: In view of the dual impact of the Kanwar Yatra reaching its peak in the holy month of Sawan and heavy monsoon rains, the Uttar Pradesh government and the concerned district administrations have taken a major decision keeping in mind the safety of the students. Holidays have been declared for all government, non-government, aided and private schools in dozens of sensitive districts of western and central Uttar Pradesh from August 4th to August 12th, 2026. This step has been taken due to the heavy crowd of devotees on the Kanwar routes, route diversions and the warning of torrential rain and lightning issued by the Meteorological Department (IMD) so that school children and buses do not have to face traffic jams or any untoward incident.

District Magistrates (DMs) of major districts in Uttar Pradesh, such as Muzaffarnagar, Meerut, Saharanpur, Shamli, Baghpat, Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddha Nagar (Noida), Bareilly, Badaun, and Moradabad, have issued official orders to close all educational institutions from classes 1 to 12. The Meerut and Muzaffarnagar administrations have clarified that all primary, secondary, CBSE, and ICSE board schools located on the main routes of the Kanwar Yatra will remain completely closed between August 4 and August 12 or will conduct classes online as needed. Basic Education Officers (BSAs) have been strictly instructed that any private school found violating these orders will face strict legal and administrative action.

Not only in Uttar Pradesh, but also in neighboring Uttarakhand, Delhi-NCR, and Himachal Pradesh, the Kanwar Yatra and the harsh weather have affected the functioning of educational institutions. In Haridwar, Dehradun, Pauri Garhwal, and Tehri districts of Devbhoomi Uttarakhand, in view of the massive influx of Kanwariyas and the devotees thronging the Ganga Ghats, the district administration has declared a holiday for all schools and Anganwadi centers along the Kanwar route from August 4th to 12th. Furthermore, in Himachal Pradesh, due to the red alert issued by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) for heavy rains, landslides, and flash floods in hilly areas like Kullu, Mandi, Shimla, and Chamba, local district magistrates have directed schools to remain closed as a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of children.

Due to heavy traffic diversions on major highways in Delhi and Haryana cities like Gurugram, Faridabad, Ambala, and Karnal due to Kanwar camps, many private schools have voluntarily opted for online classes for children from nursery to grade 5 from August 4th to 10th. The administration has appealed to all parents to keep an eye on official communications sent by schools and to avoid exposing children to waterlogged areas or near rivers and streams in case of heavy rains and waterlogging. District magistrates say that once traffic normalizes after the main Jalabhishek of Shivratri on August 12th, all schools will reopen as per the pre-determined timetable.