No holidays during Ganesh festival for Urdu medium schools

Mumbai: For the first time in history, the BMC has announced that all Urdu medium schools in the city will remain open on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi. Unlike other medium schools like Hindi, English, Tamil and so on, which will have an eight-day vacation during the festival, Urdu medium schools will remain functional.

The decision to not assign a holiday to Urdu medium schools was arrived at after the Muslim union in the city asked BMC to swap the Ganesh Chaturthi holiday to Bakri Eid which falls on September 1 and 2 this year. “Unlike every year where schools are shut for two days during Bakri Eid, Urdu medium schools will get two extra holidays,” said an official from the BMC education department.

However, the rule will be applicable only to schools with Urdu medium. Schools that have other mediums like English or Marathi along with Urdu will remain closed for Ganesh Chaturthi. “This is because, if one section of the school remains closed (Marathi or any other medium apart from Urdu), it will be a problem for the headmaster or principal of the school. Thus, the rule applies to exclusively Urdu medium schools,” the official said.

Apparently, the Muslim union in the city asked BMC not to assign holidays for Hindu festivals; instead, assign them for Bakri Eid.