Educational institutions to get extended winter holidays in Dec

Educational institutions across Bangladesh are set to enjoy extended holidays in December for the winter vacation and Christmas, although the duration will vary depending on the type and level of institution.

According to the published holiday calendars, primary and secondary schools will have 12 consecutive days off, while madrasas will get 15 days and colleges 18 days.

Primary schools

According to the holiday calendar published by the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education, the winter vacation at primary schools will begin on December 20 and continue until December 29.

As December 20 falls on a Sunday, the preceding December 18 and 19 will be weekly holidays. December 25 will also be observed as a holiday for Christmas.

Combining these holidays, teachers and students at primary schools will enjoy 12 consecutive days off.

Secondary schools

According to the 2026 academic holiday calendar published by the Ministry of Education, secondary and lower secondary schools will also have a 12-day winter vacation towards the end of December.

The vacation is scheduled from December 20 to 29. With the weekly holidays on December 18 and 19, teachers and students will get 12 consecutive days off, including Christmas Day on December 25.

Colleges

According to the holiday calendar issued by the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE), government and private colleges will observe their winter vacation from December 17 to 31.

December 16 will be a holiday for Victory Day. As December 31 falls on a Thursday, the following two days, January 1 and 2, will be weekly holidays.

As a result, college teachers and students will enjoy 18 consecutive days off.

Madrasas to get 15 days off

According to the holiday calendar for government and private independent Ebtedayee, Dakhil, Alim, Fazil and Kamil madrasas, the winter vacation will run from December 13 to 24.

Including the weekly holidays before and after the vacation, madrasas will have a total of 15 days off.

Meanwhile, the 2026 holiday calendar also includes two reserved holidays at the discretion of institutional heads. Some institutions may add these days to the winter vacation, potentially extending the break by another two days.

70 holidays proposed for 2027

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education has prepared a draft holiday calendar for the 2027 academic year, proposing a total of 70 holidays for educational institutions.

The draft proposes 24 days of holidays for Ramadan and Eid-ul-Fitr, among other occasions, 10 days for Eid-ul-Azha and 11 days for the winter vacation.

It also proposes three days off for Durga Puja and two additional reserved holidays at the discretion of institutional heads.

However, the 2027 holiday calendar is still at the draft stage and has not yet been finalised.

sks