Cold wave impact in Noida, Ghaziabad: Schools to stay shut till January 1 as fog worsens

NOIDA: Schools in Noida and Ghaziabad will remain closed till Jan 1 after the administrations of the two districts ordered a shutdown citing dense fog and extreme cold conditions. The order, following concerns raised by parents regarding the health of their children, was announced so late on Sunday night that it left parents and schools scrambling on Monday. According to the order, schools across boards, from nursery to Class 12, were supposed to stay shut from Monday itself. Teachers and non-teaching staff were, however, instructed to report to school as usual.In Noida, the order to schools read: "In compliance with the instructions given by the district magistrate, Gautam Budh Nagar, in view of dense fog and extreme cold, there will be a holiday from 29.12.2025 to 01.01.2026 in all schools (classes nursery to 12) recognised by all boards operating in the district. The above order should be strictly followed. Teachers and employees of govt and non-govt schools will be present in school as usual."But the order - circulated close to midnight - meant many institutions failed to inform parents in time, leading to confusion the next morning. As a result, several schools either opened briefly on Monday or declared holidays only from Tuesday because they had little time to react. Parents, on the other hand, were caught off guard by the sudden closure.In its notice to parents, Bal Bharti School in Noida said, "In pursuance of the govt orders issued late on 28 December 2025 at 11.20pm, and received by the school at 7.20am on 29 December 2025, it was not possible to declare a holiday today. However, the school will remain closed with effect from 30 December 2025."Other schools, too, acknowledged the disruption.Uncertainty gripped parents as well on Monday morning. "We already dropped our child at the bus stop when we heard from another parent that schools might be closed," said Rakesh Verma, a parent from Sector 62 in Noida.