The Ministry of Education has published the holiday list and academic calendar for the 2026 academic year for government and non-government junior secondary and secondary schools across the country.
According to the new schedule, educational institutions will have a total of 64 government holidays in 2026, which is 12 days fewer than last year. In 2025, the total number of holidays was 76.
On Sunday, a notification regarding this was issued by the Secondary and Higher Education Division of the Ministry of Education. The academic year will be effective from Thursday to December 31, 2026.
According to the published notification, educational institutions will remain open for nearly half of the holy month of Ramadan in 2026. However, institutions will remain closed for a total of 19 days from March 8, 2026 to March 26, 2026 on the occasions of the holy month of Ramadan, the birth anniversary of Sri Sri Harichand Thakur, Shab-e-Qadr, Jumatul Bida, Eid-ul-Fitr, and Independence and National Day.
On the occasion of Eid-ul-Azha and the summer vacation, institutions will remain closed for 12 days from May 24, 2026 to June 4, 2026. For Durga Puja, there will be a 5-day holiday from October 18 to 22. For the winter vacation and Christmas Day (the birth of Jesus Christ), institutions will remain closed for 10 days from December 20 to 29, 2026.
The academic calendar also specifies the tentative dates for examinations. According to the notification, the half-yearly/pre-test examinations must be completed between June 26 and July 10, with results to be published on July 29.
In the 2026 academic year, the selection (test) examinations must be completed between October 29 and November 10, and results will be published on November 18. The annual examinations must be completed between November 19 and December 6, with results to be published on December 30. The Junior Scholarship Examination will be held between December 15 and 20, and its results will also be published on December 30. The academic year will run from January 1 to December 31.
The notification states that this list has been prepared to ensure the smooth management of the total working days and teaching activities of the academic year.
