City schools, colleges call off exams, remain shut

Torrential overnight rain brought Kolkata to a standstill on Tuesday, forcing many schools and colleges to declare holidays and prompting universities to postpone scheduled classes and examinations.

With several neighbourhoods submerged, students and teachers were unable to reach campuses on time. Administrators across institutions cited safety concerns after reports of electrocution deaths in the city. At Jadavpur University, where a student’s recent death has triggered campus-wide unrest, authorities had scheduled a key meeting Tuesday. While the meeting went ahead, all classes were cancelled “in view of the natural calamity,” officials said.

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University of Calcutta vice-chancellor Shanta Dutta De announced the postponement of examinations, including fourth-semester food and nutrition practical tests at eight centres. Internal examinations across departments were also called off. “This decision was taken to prevent students from facing risks during severe weather conditions,” De said. Flooding disrupted several prominent institutions. Jadavpur Vidyapith, Narayandas Bangur Multipurpose School, Scottish Church College in the north, and Jogamaya Devi College in the south reported waterlogging. Basanti Devi College also declared a holiday.

“Our students commute from distant areas. Since early morning, we have been receiving calls about inundated roads. For safety, we decided to close the college,” said principal Oindrila Guha. Parthapratim Bandyopadhyay, headmaster of Jadavpur Vidyapith, said non-stop rain had left the school grounds waterlogged. “Given the circumstances, we had no choice but to declare a holiday,” he said. Some institutions struggled to balance academic schedules with weather challenges. At Narayandas Bangur School, a parent-teacher meeting and results announcement had been planned. “We could not declare a holiday outright, but the situation is being monitored,” said principal Sanjay Barua.

West Bengal Board of Secondary Education in a notice informed that they have declared holidays on 24, 25 September. The board has said the Puja vacations also stand preponed.

In Baghajatin, schools remained shut after guards reported classrooms inundated with ankle-deep water. Ram Mohan Mission School postponed tests for grades two through eleven. “Exams cannot be held under such conditions. We have rescheduled them,” said principal Sujay Biswas.

Northern Kolkata’s Park Institution also faced severe disruption. “With waist-deep water in Shyambazar and Hatibagan, holding classes is impossible. A holiday has to be declared,” a teacher said. Private schools were no exception. Ballygunge Shiksha Sadan principal Sunita Sen reported water inside the campus. Don Bosco, Ruby Park, and Park Circus schools also suspended classes. In Salt Lake, Haryana Vidya Mandir cancelled sessions as well. As heavy rain continued through the day, authorities warned that more closures could follow if the situation failed to improve.