A formal request has been submitted to the Punjab School Education Department seeking the immediate enforcement of mandatory Quran education in private schools across the province.
The application was filed with the Secretary of Schools by Syed Ahsan Mahmood, a member of the Punjab Quran Board and President of Anjuman Nashiran-e-Quran.
According to the request, Punjab was the first province to introduce compulsory Quran education.
Under the existing framework, students from Grade 1 to Grade 5 are required to study the Nazra Quran, while students from Grade 6 to Grade 12 are expected to learn the Qur’an with translation.
The applicant stated that while the policy is being implemented in public schools, compliance in the private sector remains inconsistent.
He alleged that many private schools are not offering Nazra Qur’an classes, and that arrangements for Quran translation instruction from Grade 6 to Grade 8 are also inadequate.
Syed Ahsan Mahmood urged the authorities to ensure uniform implementation of the policy across all private schools so that students receive equal access to religious education.
Officials from the School Education Department said the issue was important and assured that appropriate measures would be taken soon.
Read more: NDMA issues rain, hailstorm alert for Punjab, KP starting from May 19
LHC rejects summer vacation extension plea in Punjab schools
Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday rejected the plea challenging the extension in summer vacations in Punjab schools from two to three months.
The All Pakistan Private Schools Management Association (APSMA) had formally challenged the Punjab government’s decision to announce three-month summer vacations in public and private schools in the High Court.
APSMA says the school year 2025–26 had 365 days. Out of these, 241 days were holidays. Only 124 days were used for teaching.
The association said online classes were just a formality. Students did not learn much from them.
It also said that from April 1 to August 31, students attended school for only 30 days. Around 7 to 8 of those days were used for distributing books, notebooks, and uniforms.
They added that the summer holidays of 93 days pushed total holidays in this period to 123 days. So, out of 153 days, only 30 days were used for actual classes.
APSMA further said that from September 1 to February 28, the session will last 181 days. Overall, the year will have around 230 to 240 holiday days.
That leaves only 125 to 130 days for teaching. The association called this system unfair and harsh.
Also read: Indian rupee faces decline against Pakistani rupee after Marka-e-Haq
