Most private schools in Punjab have decided to begin the new academic year a month earlier, in December, as Ramzan is expected to fall in early February.
The new academic session in most private schools across the province is scheduled to commence on December 1.
According to sources, the early start is also expected to benefit publishers financially, as it will enable them to sell their existing stocks of books based on the current syllabus. Sources said all syllabus books would be replaced from the beginning of the new academic year, with books for the revised curriculum expected to reach the market by March or April.
Meanwhile, final-term examinations in private schools will be held in November instead of December.
School owners said the decision to advance the academic session was aimed at compensating for reduced school hours during Ramzan. They noted that shorter working hours during the holy month could make it difficult to complete the syllabus within the scheduled timeframe.
According to school owners, starting the academic year early would provide additional time for teaching and help schools complete the entire curriculum before the end of the session.
Earlier, the government of Punjab finalised a new strategy for the distribution of free textbooks across all government schools before the start of the upcoming academic year.
The new strategy will help ease the burden on parents.
In the previous years distribution challenges were faced by the government. To streamline the process this year a specific formula has been introduced by the Punjab Education Department.
According to the new plan, the allocation of textbooks will be based on a hybrid of new books and Book banks. Book Banks means a system where textbooks are collected from outgoing students and redistributed to new ones.