WB Schools Announce Summer Vacations And Long Closure Due To Lok Sabha Elections

The West Bengal Board of Primary Education and Secondary Education has announced the dates for the summer vacation. They have taken into consideration the forthcoming Lok Sabha Elections 2024 dates too. Across different districts, the schools will experience an extended closure period during the summer vacation. The upcoming Lok Sabha Election in West Bengal is scheduled to be conducted in seven phases. The summer vacation in the state will start on May 6, as per the notification issued by the Board of Secondary Education and the Board of Primary Education. It will conclude on June 2. As per reports, the summer vacation usually started in the second week of May and concluded within 11 days.

From May 6, summer vacation is taking place in primary, secondary and higher secondary schools in the state. The schools will reopen on Monday, June 3. However, it is still not clear whether the schools will remain closed on the result day of the Lok Sabha Election, June 4. To align with the electoral process, the West Bengal state government has ordered the closure of the schools in some districts in April. Education institutions in Cooch Behar, Alipurduar and Jalpaiguri districts are scheduled to remain closed from April 16 to April 20. Similarly, in districts like Darjeeling, Kalimpong, North Dinajpur and South Dinajpur, schools will observe a shutdown from April 24 to April 27.

Elections to 42 Lok Sabha constituencies in the West Bengal state will be held in seven phases on April 19, 26, May 4, 13, 20, 25 and June 1. By-elections will be held in two assembly constituencies on May 7 (Bhagbangola) and June 1 (Baranagar).

The first phase election will take place in Cooch Behar, Alipurduar, Jalpaiguri on April 19. The second phase election will be in Darjeeling, Raiganj and Balurghat on April 26.

Third phase will be held in Malda North, Malda South, Jangipur, and Murshidabad on May 4. Fourth phase elections in districts Baharampur, Krishnanagar, Ranaghat, Burdwan, East Burdwan Durgapur, Asansol, Bolpur, and Birbhum on May 13. On May 20, the fifth phase of elections will be held in Bangaon, Barrackpore, Howrah, Uluberia, Sreerampur, Hooghly, and Arambagh districts.

On May 25, the sixth phase of polling will be held in Tamluk, Kanthi, Ghatal, Jhargram, Medinipur, Purulia, Bankura, and Bishnupur districts.

The seventh and final phase of Lok Sabha elections on June 1 is in Dumdum, Barasat, Basirhat, Jayanagar, Mathurapur, Diamond Harbour, Jadavpur, Kolkata South and Kolkata North Central districts.