From this year onwards, students of Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education would get one week vacation on Christmas. The decision was taken by the board recently and implemented in the academic session 2019-20. All the schools affiliated with the State board would have to implement this new holiday calendar from the new academic session.
However, the State education board has allowed the secondary education officer of Zilla Parishad to take a final call on whether to grant this one week leave during the 10-day Ganeshotsav festival or during the Christmas period in the last week of December.
The education department has issued directive on new academic session on Tuesday. It has been stated that holiday should be decided on the basis of local importance but in no way the academic session should be less than 230 days. Holidays will be of 76 days. School headmaster will decide local holidays.
At present, the State board schools used to give only a day leave for Christmas and Ganeshotsav. Both the festivals are celebrated on a large scale in the region. The schools affiliated with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) gives nearly one week leave, which is also termed as winter vacation.
The department has stated that academic session will begin in Nagpur and other parts of Vidarbha from June 26 while the academic session in the rest of Maharashtra will begin from June 17.