All educational institutions in West Bengal will remain closed next week due to “severe” heatwave conditions. The order was declared by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday, April 16, as stated in a report by PTI.

The closure due to the heatwave is applicable across the state except in the hilly areas, as clarified by the school and higher education departments. The chief minister said that in the last few days, children have been complaining of headaches and other health issues after returning from school.

"All educational institutions, including schools, colleges and universities, will remain closed from Monday (April 17) till Saturday (April 22) next week, keeping in mind the severe heatwave conditions," the chief minister added. Private educational institutions were also urged to do the same during this period.

"I will also request people to avoid coming out in the sun from 12 noon to 4 pm," Banerjee said.

Kolkata recorded 39.8 degrees Celsius as the maximum temperature during the day and 29.6 degrees Celsius as the minimum as per a meteorological department bulletin. It also expects the mercury level to most likely reach around 40 degrees C in the next 24 hours.