The government of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) has removed the Friday holiday for all government departments on Thursday, starting tomorrow.
According to the notification, all government offices will now remain open on Friday in AJK, and it will be a normal working day.
Earlier, private schools had asked to end the weekly Friday holiday. They said online classes are not giving good results.
The holidays were announced as an austerity measure to save fuel and electricity because of the ongoing tensions between Israel, the United States (US) and Iran.
Read more: Eid ul Azha 2026 expected holidays, dates announced
Holidays announced
The government had also issued a notification for the austerity and fuel conservation measures in the country.
“In continuation of Cabinet Division’s notifications of even numbers dated 9th and 14th March, 2026, the Prime Minister, in view of the continuing Gulf oil crisis, has been pleased to direct the enforcement of the following austerity and fuel conservation measures with effect from Tuesday, 7th April, 2026, in addition to the measures already in place,” the notification by Cabinet Division said.
In a meeting of private school representatives from Punjab, issues related to education quality and administration were discussed.
The meeting was chaired by Chief Qazi Naeem Anjum, and it was attended by several education experts.
Qazi Naeem Anjum said that good results cannot be achieved through online classes. He said students need regular classroom teaching for at least 210 days in a year.
The meeting also raised concerns about delays in printing textbooks. It was said that students lose important study time because books are not available on time. They demanded that books should be printed on time next year.
Private school owners also asked the Lahore Board to complete the process of renewing school affiliations quickly.
Education experts said that too many holidays and delays make it hard to finish the syllabus. They said reducing holidays is important for better student results.
