A nationwide Bharat Bandh called by a joint forum of 10 central trade unions began at midnight on Thursday, triggering concerns among students and parents across the country. With large-scale participation expected and road disruptions reported in several regions, the key question this morning is clear: Are schools and colleges closed today?The 24-hour strike is planned to protest the four new labour codes that are to be enacted in 2025, which unions believe undermine the rights of workers and employment security of workers. Privatisation action, wage issues, and the suggested India-US trade accord are also the subjects of the protest, and farmers’ organisations have joined forces.
Are schools and colleges closed today?
As of Thursday morning, there is no nationwide order directing the closure of schools and colleges. Most states have not issued any official notification declaring a holiday for educational institutions.By Thursday morning, there is no national decree that guides closure of schools and colleges. The majority of states did not give any official message stating that there is a holiday in educational facilities.The most recent state-by-state report is as follows:
Delhi and NCR
The schools in the national capital are not closed. The Delhi Education Department has not declared any shutdown of government and non-government schools. The institutions are operating according to the schedule, yet the parents have been asked to keep in touch with the school authorities, in case of any disruption locally.
Uttar Pradesh
Educational institutions are working normally. There are no formal guidelines that have been made to suspend classes.
Punjab
Lawmakers have not declared a vacation. Colleges and schools are operating normally unless the individual schools or colleges make a decision to the contrary.
Maharashtra
The schools of the Maharashtra government are not shut down.
Rajasthan
Schools are active. There is no blanket order of closure.
West Bengal
Academic shutdown is not announced on a statewide level, and schools are not closed.
Tamil Nadu
With no disruption of transport for taking local decisions, schools in Chennai and the state are operating normally.The states where disruptions can be increased.The states like Kerala, Odisha, and Karnataka will experience greater involvement in the strike based on the participation of the trade unions. Nonetheless, such blanket school and colleges closure has not officially been confirmed as yet, even in these states.In Karnataka, there has been some confusion in some districts as government officials are still keeping vigil on the situation.
Why Bharat Bandh announced today?
These 10 central trade unions, such as the INTUC, AITUC, HMS, and CITU, among others, have headed the strike. The demonstrators are also demanding that the four new labour codes that were introduced to replace 29 existing labour laws should be withdrawn. According to them, the new framework simplifies the firing of employees by employers and undermines social security cover.They too have been demanding the repeal of the Draft Seed Bill, the Electricity Amendment Bill and the SHANTI Act. The bodies of the farmers have also participated in the protest, citing issues of trade agreements with the fear that such agreements would affect Indian agriculture.The number of workers, according to the claims of the organisers, may be over 30 crore, and the demonstrations are to be organised in over 1,000 locations all over India.
What students and parents should do?
As much as schools and colleges are generally open nowadays, one cannot exclude the possibility of localised transport and traffic disruptions. Students would be encouraged to monitor the official school communication media and keep in touch with their respective institutions to get real-time updates.At this point, learning institutions in key states are mostly operating normally, despite the Bharat Bandh being witnessed in the whole country.
