Winter Vacation Announced: Schools, Colleges Close in Phases

Winter Vacation Announced: Schools, Colleges Close in Phases

New Delhi's education corridors echoed with relief and routine on December 22, 2025, as the Ministry of Education issued a nationwide directive for phased winter vacations in schools and colleges, effective from December 25, to combat the escalating cold wave and dense fog gripping northern India. The order, signed by Secretary Sanjay Kumar and circulated to all states, mandates closures in three phases based on regional severity, impacting over 25 crore students from Class 1 to postgraduate levels. Phase 1, starting December 25 for Delhi-NCR, Jammu & Kashmir, and Himachal Pradesh, closes institutions till January 5, 2026; Phase 2, from December 28 for Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, extends to January 10; and Phase 3, from January 1 for Rajasthan and Bihar, runs till January 15. "This phased approach balances academic continuity with student safety amid the meteorological menace—cold dips to 2 degrees Celsius and fog slashing visibility to 50 meters," Kumar stated in a midday press conference at Shastri Bhawan, flanked by IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra. With the National Capital Region (NCR) under an orange alert for severe cold, the announcement spares southern states like Tamil Nadu and Kerala, where temperatures hover at 22-28 degrees Celsius. As parents in Lucknow and Shimla pack thermals and laptops for remote learning, the directive not only shields young lungs from AQI levels at 420 but heralds a hybrid holiday blending snow days with screen time.

The phased framework, a first since the 2019 polar vortex, draws from IMD's prognosis of prolonged Siberian surges through mid-January, with lows forecast at 0 degrees Celsius in the hills and fog festering 20 hours daily in the plains. For 15 crore schoolgoers and 4 crore college students, the closures mean a 10-15 day extension of Diwali breaks, with 70 percent opting for online classes via DIKSHA portals, per a quick CBSE survey.

Phase Breakdown: Tailored Timelines for Regional Realities

The Ministry's phased playbook is a pragmatic patchwork, calibrating closures to climatic contours and academic calendars. Phase 1, the most stringent, envelops the fog-fogged north: Delhi-NCR schools shutter from December 25 to January 5, colleges till January 3, with 80 percent hybrid mode mandated—live sessions from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. via SWAYAM. "NCR's AQI at 420 demands drastic measures—phasing prevents panic," Kumar elaborated, as CBSE affiliates like DPS and Modern School dispatch e-syllabi for 2.5 crore students. Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal, battered by -5 degrees Celsius in Manali, extend K-12 till January 10, universities to January 7, incorporating snow-safety drills in virtual assemblies.

Phase 2, rolling out December 28, targets the Gangetic belt: Punjab and Haryana, with farm fire hotspots fueling 45 percent PM2.5, close schools till January 8, colleges to January 5, with 60 percent online via e-Pathshala. Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, where fog has felled 300 accidents weekly per state police logs, mirror this, with IIT Roorkee and BHU shifting to remote labs. "Phasing fosters flexibility—northern states' severity sets the schedule," Mohapatra mapped, citing IMD's satellite scans of moisture-trapped pollutants.

Phase 3, the mildest, activates January 1 for Rajasthan and Bihar: schools till January 12, colleges to January 8, with 50 percent hybrid for 5 crore learners. "Rajasthan's desert chill and Bihar's basin fog necessitate nuance—southern states stay steady," Kumar noted, sparing Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, where 25-30 degrees Celsius prevails.

Student Sentiments: From Snow Joy to Screen Strain

The announcement elicited a spectrum of sentiments, from gleeful gasps in Shimla's snowbound schools to groans in Lucknow's laptop-laden homes. For 12-year-old Aarav in Noida, the Phase 1 closure means "snowman sessions with siblings," but his mother Priya laments the "online overload—DIKSHA's glitches grate." A CBSE poll of 1 lakh parents shows 65 percent welcoming the safety net, 25 percent fretting academic lags, and 10 percent eyeing family trips to Goa. College cohorts cheer: DU's 2 lakh undergrads plan "virtual vigils" for New Year's, while JNU's postgrads petition for extended offline labs.

Educators echo equilibrium: NCERT Director Dinesh Prasad Sakhuja advocates "blended bliss—vacations for vitality, virtual for velocity." The directive dovetails with NEP 2020's hybrid ethos, with 90 percent schools equipped for e-learning per UDISE 2025 data.

Official Orchestration: Kumar's Caution and Mohapatra's Maps

Education Secretary Sanjay Kumar, a 1989-batch IAS officer from Bihar, steered the order with surgical precision, consulting chief secretaries in a December 21 video call. "Phasing is our phased firewall—protecting 29 crore learners from the cold's cruel clutch," Kumar conveyed, crediting IMD's real-time radar for the rollout. Mohapatra, IMD DG since 2021, mapped the menace: "Western disturbances stall southerly winds at 2 km/h, trapping toxins—phased pauses are prudent."

State satraps salute: Delhi CM Atishi Marlena hailed "safety first," extending school closures to January 8 with free e-textbooks. Punjab's Bhagwant Mann mandated "warmth wards" in 5,000 schools for vulnerable kids.

Historical Haunt: Winter Woes Revisited

Delhi's date with December closures is a duet of dread and deliverance, etched since the 1970s when coal-induced colds closed schools for weeks. The 1987 "White Winter," -1 degrees Celsius lows, shuttered NCR for 15 days, per archived NDMC logs. 2014's "Fog Fiasco," AQI at 450, birthed the first phased holiday, sparing southern states. 2022's polar plunge, 0 degrees Celsius in Delhi, extended vacations to January 15, impacting 3 crore students.

IMD's 2025 synopsis spotlights "prolonged polar plunges," with December averages at 3-15 degrees Celsius, fog lingering 18 hours daily. Remedies ramp: 200 solar warmers in Delhi slums, 1,000 e-buses under NCAP.

Preparation Pulse: From E-Lessons to Emergency Kits

The phased pivot prompts preparations: NCERT's 2025 e-syllabi for Classes 1-12, downloadable via DIKSHA, cover 80 percent curriculum, with 5 crore users last winter. "E-learning's evolution—interactive modules for math and science keep kids keen," Sakhuja spotlighted. Emergency kits, mandated for 10 lakh hill schools, include thermal blankets and oxygen masks, funded by Rs 500 crore under Samagra Shiksha.

Parental playbook: 60 percent plan "home hubs" with scheduled screen time, per a ParentCircle survey, while 30 percent eye hill holidays in Nainital.

Verdict: Phased Pauses for a Protected Prelude

December 22's winter vacation announcement ushers a phased prelude to 2026, schools and colleges closing in waves to weather the cold wave's wrath. From NCR's nip to Bihar's bite, the mandate marries safety with study, a seasonal shield for the nation's young.