UP schools to stay open on Christmas Day for Vajpayee centenary programmes, move draws criticism
New Delhi: Government primary and upper primary schools across Uttar Pradesh will remain open on December 25 this year, with students required to attend special programmes marking the birth centenary of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, replacing the customary Christmas holiday.
An order issued by the state’s Basic Education Department has made attendance compulsory for students on the day and directed schools to organise speeches, cultural events and remembrance activities celebrating Vajpayee’s life and public service. The directive applies to government-run schools across the state and coincides with the closing phase of official centenary year observances for the BJP co-founder.
The decision follows demands raised by Bajrang Dal leaders in Saharanpur, who had submitted a memorandum urging the government to ensure that December 25 is observed as “Good Governance Day” and “Bal Gaurav Day” rather than Christmas. Maktoob Media reported that the delegation argued that the date should not be used to mark the birth of Jesus Christ and called for schools to focus on activities such as poetry recitations, speeches and essay competitions centred on Vajpayee and educationist Madan Mohan Malaviya.
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The move has triggered strong reactions from Christian organisations, educators and civil society groups, who see it as a marginalisation of the Christian community. They also described it as a departure from the secular ethos of public education. A spokesperson for a prominent Christian group described the order as insensitive to the religious sentiments of Christians, for whom Christmas marks the birth of Jesus and holds deep spiritual significance.
Dr John Dayal, secretary general of the All India Christian Council and a member of the National Integration Council, criticised the state government for keeping schools open on Christmas to observe Vajpayee’s birth anniversary. He said replacing a longstanding religious holiday with official commemorations amounted to a deliberate sidelining of Christian faith practices and reflected a broader pattern of exclusion. Dayal warned that such measures contribute to fear and insecurity among Christians, particularly in states witnessing repeated incidents of hostility and violence.
The All India Christian Council and other organizations, in a letter to the Union Home Minister presented data from the United Christian Forum, which showed 834 occurrences of violence or hatred against Christians in 2024 and 706 cases through November 2025. Citing reports of fake conversions, burial rejections, mob violence, and police inactivity, the letter singled out Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh as the worst-affected states,
Arguing that schools should uphold constitutional values of equality and coexistence and that national commemorations should not come at the cost of religious inclusion, Dr Nihal Nazim, a government school teacher in Moradabad, said cancelling Christmas sent a message to Christian students that their faith and identity were secondary in public institutions.
Former students echoed similar sentiments. Ansab, an alumnus of a Christian school in Aligarh, said Christmas had long been a shared cultural moment that transcended religious boundaries. Removing it from the school calendar, he said, reinforced a sense of exclusion and aligned with a wider climate of hostility towards minorities.
December 25 has been observed as Good Governance Day since 2014, when the central government declared Vajpayee’s birth anniversary a working day for government offices, effectively removing the Christmas holiday for central government employees. The move had drawn objections from Christian groups at the time as well.
While several other states like Delhi, Punjab and Kerala, continue to recognise Christmas as a school holiday, Uttar Pradesh has extended the observance to schools. Kerala’s education minister has recently cautioned against turning educational institutions into sites of communal contestation, reaffirming the need for inclusive recognition of festivals.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
