Winter holidays, which started in December 2025, are continuing into January 2026. Several states, including Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Jammu, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand have been observing winter vacations for the past few weeks. Due to the severe weather and falling temperatures, the governments of Punjab and Jharkhand have decided to extend school holidays. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has ordered that all government and private schools in the state will remain closed until January 13, 2026. Initially, schools were scheduled to reopen on January 8. (File Photo)
Punjab’s cold wave has been so severe that the state government has extended school holidays three times. Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains announced on ‘X’ that, considering the safety of children and staff, all schools from pre-nursery to 12th grade will remain closed until January 13th. With Makar Sankranti/Maghi expected to be a holiday on January 14th, regular classes are likely to resume smoothly after that. (AI Generated Image)
In Jharkhand, the situation is equally serious due to the cold wave. The state’s School Education and Literacy Department has announced the closure of all government, private, and aided schools until January 8, 2026. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued warnings of more intense cold and dense fog in the coming days, which could affect children’s health. Keeping this mind, the Ranchi district administration on Thursday directed that all schools will be closed till January 10. (File Photo)
In Jharkhand, normal life has been disrupted by fog and dropping temperatures, with morning temperatures in cities like Ranchi and Jamshedpur falling below 5 degrees. However, teachers and non-teaching staff are required to be present for administrative purposes. (AI Generated Image)
The IMD predicts severe cold wave conditions to persist in northwest India for the next four to five days, with dense fog reducing visibility to less than 50 meters. Yellow and orange alerts have been issued for Bathinda, Amritsar in Punjab, and parts of Jharkhand. In other states like Delhi, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh, district magistrates have also issued orders to close schools or change timings according to the local weather conditions. (AI Generated Image)
