Punjab notifies winter vacations for public, private schools

Punjab on Wednesday notified week-long winter vacations in all public and private schools of the province. It follows similar vacation announcements for Sindh, Balochistan and the federal capital.

A notification in this regards was issued by the Punjab School Education Department on Wednesday evening.

As per the notification, all educational institutions will remain closed from December 24 till December 31.

Signed by the Punjab School Education Secretary Waqas Ali Mahmood, the notice directed all public and private schools to re-open in the new year on Monday, January 2.

It is pertinent to note that restrictions regarding wearing face masks within school premises will remain intact once classes resume in the new year, the notification reads.

New restrictions

Earlier on Wednesday, the Lahore High Court (LHC) had ordered Lahore’s district administration to close markets and restaurants by 10pm on weekends, keeping in view the worsening situation of smog in the city.

The LHC had previously ordered the closure of schools for three days a week, (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) as it attempted to take a page out of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) control measures to limit the exposure of students to the hazardous air.

This is the fifth consecutive year where residents of Lahore have been breathing in hazardous air, posing a serious challenge to their health and daily function.

Lahore’s Air Quality Index (AQI)

On Wednesday, Lahore’s AQI was recorded at a relatively breathable 254, which means that the city’s air was quite unhealthy.

Winter vacations in rest of Pakistan

In the rest of the country, winter vacations have been announced in Sindh, Balochistan and the federal capital territory of Islamabad.

The Sindh School Education and Literary Department’s steering committee has already announced holidays for educational institutions from December 21 to December 31.

Moreover, the Balochistan government had previously announced winter vacation from December 16 to February 28 keeping in view of cold wave in the southwestern region of country.

The Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration has also notified winter vacations in all public and private educations institutions from December 26 to December 31.