Nagpur: All schools in Nagpur district, including CBSE-affiliated institutions, have been issued a notice by the education department on Monday to reopen on June 30 for the academic year 2026-27, with a stern warning that action will be taken against schools that summon students to campuses before that date.
The order, issued after a rap from the Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court, marks the first time the department has explicitly brought non-state board institutions under the same reopening date as state board schools.
High Court Intervention
The high court had on June 10 scrapped the education department's earlier circulars, first setting June 15 and then June 22 as reopening dates, and directed all Vidarbha schools to reopen only from June 30 in line with a government resolution (GR) dated April 20, 2023.
A division bench of Justices Anil Kilor and Raj Wakode had termed the department's conduct "totally arbitrary" and lacking reason, noting the state failed to collect temperature data or consult medical experts before fixing the reopening date. The bench warned that any future circular or action contrary to the order would invite proceedings under the Contempt of Courts Act.
Significance of the Notice
The notice by the education department is significant because for years local officials took a stand that they could not interfere with academic calendars of CBSE schools, leaving them free to reopen well before state board institutions. TOI had reported that several CBSE schools in Nagpur had either resumed classes for senior students or issued reopening notices for mid-June, despite temperatures continuing above 43 degrees Celsius.
The notice, issued jointly by primary and secondary education officers of the zilla parishad, cited the HC order and said the decision was taken to ensure there was no contempt of court. It noted temperatures in Vidarbha were still not suitable for students' health and warned schools not to call students in any manner before June 30. All schools in the district were asked to comply and submit action reports.
The order referenced letters issued by the director of education, Pune, on June 9 and June 12, asking schools to reopen on June 30, and a discussion with the commissioner of education. It also cited the writ petition filed by Maharashtra Rajya Prathamik Shikshan Samiti through its president Vijay D Kombey and Nagpur unit head Liladhar Thakre, challenging the March 28 circular that fixed June 15 as reopening date for schools statewide.
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