Confusion prevailed in Erode city and its outskirts on Saturday (October 24, 2026) as many private schools that had opened for the day declared a holiday at 8.30 a.m. and sent students home, causing considerable inconvenience to children and parents. The announcement came even as the sky remained clear in the city.

Rainfall continued in Thalavadi, Gobichettipalayam, and Sathyamangalam taluks on Saturday morning. While government schools remained closed, many private schools in the city and its outskirts functioned as usual. However, parents soon received SMS messages asking them to pick up their children, as the schools would remain closed following the Collector’s orders.

The sudden announcement inconvenienced parents who had just dropped their children off at school, with school vans having arrived and classes about to begin. Office-goers had to make alternative arrangements to pick up their children, while school vans transported students back home.

Chief Educational Officer E. Manvizhi told The Hindu that the Collector’s holiday order applied only to private schools in Thalavadi taluk, where rainfall continued on Saturday morning. However, many private schools in Erode city and its outskirts had mistakenly understood the order as applying to the entire district and declared a holiday, she clarified.