CA office debunks false claims over cancellations of holidays

The Chief Adviser (CA) Office has dismissed a media report that the government has cancelled the holidays of the educational institutions on a number of religious and national days.

CA Press Wing Facts in a post on its official facebook page on Monday said misinformation is being spread on the issue in local and Indian media outlets and social media.

“Claims have been published in several media outlets and on social media in Bangladesh and India that the Bangladesh government has cancelled holidays for Saraswati Puja, February 21, May Day, Buddha Purnima, Ashura, Janmashtami, Madhu Purnima, and Mahalaya in 2026,” it said, reports BSS.

“This claim is not true. In reality, these days were not listed separately as holidays because they fall on weekly holidays,” reads the post.

An analysis of the Ministry of Education’s official holiday gazette for this year, signed by Sabina Yasmin, Deputy Secretary of the Secondary and Higher Education Division, shows that the number of holidays marked as “zero” for these dates includes: January 17 (Saturday) Shab-e-Meraj; January 23 (Friday) Sri Sri Saraswati Puja; February 21 (Saturday) Shaheed Day and International Mother Language Day; May 1 (Friday) May Day and Buddha Purnima (Boishakhi Purnima); June 26 (Friday) the holy day of Ashura (Muharram); September 4 (Friday) Janmashtami; September 26 (Saturday) Madhu Purnima; and October 10 (Friday) Mahalaya.

“Government holidays that coincided with weekly holidays (Friday and Saturday) were not counted again as additional holidays,” it added.

An analysis of the government holiday gazettes from the past two years shows the same pattern. In those years as well, when government holidays coincided with weekly holidays, they were not counted again as additional holidays.

Therefore, the claim that the holidays were cancelled is false, the post added.