PRAYAGRAJ, Jan. 4 -- The Uttar Pradesh Basic Education Council has released the holiday calendar for 2026-27 for government-run primary, upper primary and composite schools spread across the state. The holiday on the occasion of Basant Panchami has been restored in the 2026 calendar issued by Secretary Surendra Kumar Tiwari, officials confirmed. More than 5 lakh teachers and staff working in over 1 lakh council schools across the state, as well as over 1.5 crore enrolled students, had received a holiday on Basant Panchami till 2024. However, the holiday was cancelled in most districts in 2025, granted only in Prayagraj, which led to strong protests by teachers, officials explained. According to the new calendar, a copy of which is with HT, the holidays for Holika Dahan and Holi will fall on March 2 and March 4, respectively. Schools will remain open on March 3. In 2025, the Holika Dahan and Holi holidays were observed on March 13 and March 14. Similarly, in 2025, holidays for Narak Chaturdashi, Diwali, Govardhan Puja, Bhai Dooj, and Chitragupt Jayanti were observed together for four days, from November 20 to 23. This year, only three days of holidays have been allotted for these festivals. In 2026, the holidays will be: Narak Chaturdashi/Diwali on November 8, Govardhan Puja on November 9, and Bhai Dooj/Chitragupt Jayanti on November 11. The summer vacation will be from May 20 to June 15, while the winter vacation will be from December 31 to January 14, 2027. School timings will be from 8 am to 2 pm between April 1 and September 30, and from 9 am to 3 pm between October 1 and March 31. The calendar includes a total of 33 holidays this year....