Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday announced early Puja holidays in all government and aided schools and colleges in Bengal, urging private institutions to follow suit, citing concerns over the severe rainfall and its possible impact over the coming days.

“I have announced holidays in government-run schools and colleges. I would request private English-medium schools affiliated to ICSE and CBSE to also announce the Puja holidays. I would be happy if they do so... else they should at least keep institutions closed tomorrow (Wednesday),” Mamata said.

Following her appeal, education minister Bratya Basu posted on X that “schools and higher educational institutions” will remain closed on Wednesday and Thursday. A notification from the school education department cited Tuesday’s downpour and forecasts of continued “inclement weather” as reasons for the closure.

“All government/government-aided/sponsored, primary, upper primary, secondary, higher secondary educational institutes in the state (except hill areas) will remain closed on September 24 and 25,” the notice stated.

Several private schools and colleges responded quickly. Institutions such as La Martiniere for Boys and Girls announced an early start to Puja vacation and rescheduled their ongoing half-yearly examinations.

St James’ School, Mahadevi Birla World Academy, Modern High School, and The Heritage School declared a holiday on Wednesday, while Loreto schools opted for online classes. “We have taken this decision keeping the safety of our children in mind,” said a Loreto official.

St Xavier’s College, St Xavier’s University, and Loreto College also announced closures for Wednesday and Thursday. St Xavier’s College plans to function on Friday. “We received the state government’s advisory and decided to close for two days. It might be a challenge for students to step out,” said Father Dominic Savio, principal of St Xavier’s College.

Calcutta University will be closed on Wednesday and Thursday.

Multiple school campuses across the city were inundated. “Classrooms on the ground floor were flooded. Even after the water recedes, we need to disinfect before reopening,” said Supriyo Dhar, secretary of La Martiniere schools. Parents were informed on Tuesday evening about the early vacation.

At Mahadevi Birla World Academy, principal Anjana Saha reported no electricity and waterlogging on campus. “We have to restore the school to normal running conditions by Wednesday,” she said.

Pradip Agarwal, CEO of The Heritage Group, emphasised that student safety was the primary concern.

Some schools sent out closure notices as early as dawn. “We informed parents early, before children stepped out. Exams are on, and we didn’t want anyone stuck in flooded roads,” said Rupkatha Sarkar, principal of La Martiniere for Girls.

The Newtown School principal, Satabdi Bhattacharjee, said that its buses couldn’t reach students due to waterlogged roads. The school will remain closed on Wednesday. St Xavier’s Collegiate School sent a message by 5.30am cancelling Tuesday’s classes.

“The approach roads were flooded,” said principal Father Roshan Tirkey.

Scottish Church College went ahead with a scheduled BCom viva exam. “Out of 69 students, 59 appeared. We will arrange alternatives for those who couldn’t,” said Principal Madhumanjari Mandal. However, the rain damaged several instruments in the college’s computer science lab.

At Lady Brabourne College, attendance was nearly nil, with neither students nor faculty able to reach the campus.