LAHORE : Punjab Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat on Saturday announced an extension to winter vacation for all public and private schools and colleges across the province.
Institutions will now reopen on January 19 instead of January 12. The decision was taken in view of the prolonged cold wave and the forecast of extremely low temperatures in the coming days. Officials said the extension was made on the advice of the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) to safeguard the health and well-being of students and staff.
On Friday, the minister had said schools and colleges would reopen on January 12 as scheduled, with no extension in winter vacations.
But on Saturday he announced that the holidays for educational institutions had been extended. His social media posts created confusion, as one referred only to schools while another mentioned both schools and colleges. When contacted, his PRO clarified that the extension applies only to schools. Nonetheless, Higher Education Department Punjab on its official Facebook page announced extension to winter vacation for colleges too.
