Surat: In the latest circular issued by the Municipal School Board (MSB), the New Year’s Day holiday on Jan 1 has been cancelled for municipal schools.The holiday, which figured in the annual leave list until last year, was removed in line with the leave calendar issued by the state government for 2026, officials said.The MSB has also issued two separate leave lists based on religious requirements—one for Urdu-medium schools and another common list for schools in other languages, including Gujarati, English, Hindi, Marathi, Odia and Telugu.The leave lists include both mandatory and optional holidays. Most of the holidays are as per the government gazette, while a few have been included to meet regional requirements.In place of the January 1 holiday, the MSB has included a holiday for Rath Yatra on July 16. A total of 24 holidays have been announced under both lists. Including holidays and vacations, municipal schools will remain closed for 80 days during the year.Senior MSB officials said the leave schedule fully aligns with the state government’s calendar. “The state government has not declared January 1 as a holiday this year, which is why it has been removed. A separate leave list has been prepared for Urdu-medium schools to ensure students get holidays for festivals relevant to them,” said MSB chairman Rajendra Kapadia.
