UP Schools will Stay Open on Christmas Day as the Govt Mandates Attendance for Vajpayee Birth Centenary

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The UP government has made school attendance compulsory on December 25, removing the Christmas holiday. According to the decision, schools should observe the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on December 25.

Vajpayee Centenary 

Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was born on December 25, 1924, in Gwalior. To celebrate this occasion, the UP government has canceled holidays across the schools.

The government has also instructed to observe the day through special commemorative programmes. Student attendance on the day will be mandatory in educational institutions. 

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Uttar Pradesh schools were given a holiday on Christmas Day in previous years. 

Christmas Holiday in Other States

Other states in India have declared a holiday on December 25. Kerala, Rajasthan, and Punjab have announced extended Christmas vacations for schools. 

Schools in Kerala will remain closed from December 24 and reopen on January 5. Rajasthan has declared holidays from December 25 to January 5. Schools in Punjab will observe a Christmas break from December 22 to January 10.

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Christmas Day will also be observed as a holiday in states including Delhi, Haryana, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh. 

Is UP Government Suppressing Minority Voices?

"This decision reflects a shift in how official calendars are used to project identity,' said a social analyst from UP. "While commemorating leaders is important, sidelining religious holidays risks conveying a message of exclusion rather than shared national belonging,” he added.

Centenary celebrations for a national leader are significant. The decision to replace a longstanding Christmas holiday shows the symbolic weight of official events that mould public culture. 

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Final Thoughts

Official recognition of festivals plays an important role in building cultural representation for minority communities. Removing such observances can be perceived as sidelining these identities.

Critics argue that the move indicates a trend in India where religious and cultural practices of minorities are scrutinized. Christmas celebration is sometimes framed as being linked to foreign influence. 

The decision to skip Christmas celebration and observe Vajpayee’s centenary will be topic of debate around politics, identity, and education.

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