A last minute circular to city schools and junior colleges to celebrate November 10 as Education Day to commemorate the birthday of the country’s first education minister, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, which falls on November 11, has sent the institutes running scared.

The Diwali vacation has already begun and there are no students or teachers around to mark the birthday. On Friday, the state education department sent a letter to schools and colleges, asking them to celebrate the birthday on November 11. When they realised that the day was a Sunday, another circular was uploaded the same day, asking the tribute to be held on Saturday instead of Sunday.