The Sindh government has restored the weekly Saturday holiday for all public and private schools across the province.
Under the revised policy, school hours will be extended by one hour to ensure academic activities continue without disruption despite the five-day school week.
The decision has been taken as part of the provincial government’s austerity measures and efforts to make more effective use of available resources.
According to the Sindh Education Department, all public and private educational institutions will now operate from Monday to Friday, with the new schedule taking effect across the province.
The Sindh Education Department earlier restored a six-day working week for all public and private educational institutions across the province.
According to an official notification, schools and colleges will resume academic activities six days a week, with classes scheduled from Monday to Saturday.
The revised schedule comes into effect from August 1, requiring all government and private schools to follow the six-day teaching week.
Balochistan govt ends Saturday holiday in Schools
The Balochistan government also abolished the Saturday holiday in all government schools across the province. As a result, public schools will now operate six days a week.
According to an official notification issued by the provincial government, Sunday will now be the only weekly holiday for all government schools. Schools will remain open from Monday through Saturday.
The Balochistan Education Department has formally issued a notification confirming the end of the Saturday holiday.
Punjab schools to open on alternate Saturdays
In a separate development, the Punjab government announced that it may review the school academic calendar after private schools objected to the long summer vacations in the province.
The Education Minister of Punjab, Rana Sikandar Hayat, while speaking to a private TV channel, said that long holidays negatively affect students’ education. He agreed with the concerns that had been raised by private schools.
He said that the government is considering a proposal to open schools on alternate Saturdays after the summer vacations.
Further, the minister added that the new academic calendar will be prepared after consultation with private schools.
He also said that an alternative plan will be made in case schools have to close suddenly due to any situation.
The minister said that the Friday holiday also caused a loss in studies. According to him, schools should remain open for 180 days in a year, but at present, they are functioning for only around 140 days.
Also read: Private schools urge government to reopen schools, shorten summer break