Eid-E-Milad Holiday Confusion: Schools Caught Between Govt and Education Department Orders

The Maharashtra government’s decision regarding school holidays for Eid-E-Milad has led to widespread confusion among schools, teachers, and parents. Initially, the Education Deputy Director announced that schools would remain closed on September 8 instead of September 5 to mark the festival. However, the municipal education department declared both September 5 and 8 as holidays, adding to the uncertainty.

Private schools further deepened the confusion by following the deputy director’s order and declaring a holiday only on September 8. This conflicting situation has now become a talking point among teachers and education bodies. The issue arose after the Muslim community decided to hold the Eid procession on September 8 instead of September 5, due to the overlap with Ganeshotsav. Following this, the state government declared September 8 as a public holiday in both Mumbai city and its suburbs.

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According to the deputy director’s directive, private schools were instructed to remain open on September 5 and close on September 8. But since some private schools had already announced a pre-scheduled holiday on September 5, teachers’ associations claim that this has left teachers and staff uncertain about which rules to follow. Meanwhile, municipal schools have been directed to conduct compensatory classes for the September 8 holiday at a later date.

Commenting on the issue, Tanaji Kamble, President of the Progressive Teachers’ Association, said, “The government declared a holiday on September 5, while the Education Deputy Director insisted private schools remain open on that day. At the same time, some private schools had already pre-declared September 5 as a holiday. This has only added to the confusion.”