New Delhi: All schools will remain closed on December 25, the Ministry for Human Resource Development on Monday clarified.
Responding to news reports that schools had been asked to remain open on Christmas Day, the HRD ministry, in a statement denied that CBSE had directed any school to remain open on December 25, 2014.
Issuing a clarification on what it termed as “a factually wrong media report” on holiday on Christmas in schools, the ministry said, “All schools will follow their vacation schedule including vacation/holiday on December 25 as specifically clarified by CBSE.”
The statement said the proposed instructions of the CBSE “are to conduct an online essay competition on December 24 and 25, 2014 which is completely voluntary. CBSE has neither issued any circular on its website nor issued any instruction to any school for remaining open on December 25, 2014.”
The CBSE office, too, would remain closed as a public holiday on December 25 on account of Christmas Day, it said, adding that for the event of online essay competitions on that day, no CBSE official was required to come to office for specifically conducting essay competition as the essays would be received online through the specified time schedule.
It blamed a section of media for giving a “distorted impression” that schools had been asked to stay open on the day, saying that before going to Press no clarification had been sought by the reporter from the Secretary, School Education. (UNI)
