Following the Maharashtra Election Commission’s announcement of a public holiday on January 15, many Mumbai schools have closed campuses or moved classes online. Schools serving as polling centres cited security concerns and election preparations. While some institutions will conduct virtual lessons, others have declared a full holiday, asking parents and students to check official school updates.

The Maharashtra State Election Commission has announced a public holiday on Thursday, January 15, 2026, to ensure hassle-free elections, which has prompted educational institutions to either shut their campuses or move to virtual mode. While the general holiday declaration does not specifically mention schools and colleges, many institutions which have been declared as polling centres have issued internal circulars.

Schools Shift to Online Mode

Consequently, a number of schools are suspending their physical classes and continuing lessons online, while some institutions have declared a complete holiday.

Security Concerns Cited

Speaking to Free Press Journal, Ronit Bhat, IBCP Cordinator at Children’s Academy Group of School said that the decision was taken keeping security arrangements in mind. “From tomorrow onwards, the school will have a holiday. We are conducting online classes, and nobody will be allowed inside the school premises because of high security for election purposes,” he said.

St Mary’s Issues Circular

A similar approach has been adopted by St. Mary’s School, Mazgaon, which will serve as a polling centre for the Municipal Elections. The school’s principal, Mr. Austine Vas, issued a detailed circular to parents and students, a copy of which FPJ has accessed. The circular stated that due to preparatory arrangements and restrictions imposed by authorities, regular functioning would be affected on Wednesday, January 14, 2026.

Online Schedule Detailed

According to the notice, St. Mary’s ICSE, ISC and International School will operate in online mode on January 14, with Grades 1 to 4 attending virtual classes until 12:30 pm, Grades 5 to 9 until 3:00 pm, and Grade 11 following the regular timetable online. The school will remain closed on Thursday, January 15, following the declaration of a public holiday for elections.

Also Watch:

Varied Approaches Across City

However, this is not the case in the entire city. Some schools have decided to observe a complete holiday without online studies, while other schools are conducting academic activities online to avoid losing instructional time.

Parents Advised to Verify

Students as well as parents are advised to get information only from the official sources within each school and college. News notifications, emails, school sites, and authenticated messaging groups need to be checked for updates, and they must confirm through that channel itself to eliminate doubts before the election days.