Punjab Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat has approved the conduct of online classes for all schools, colleges, and universities across the province, as part of an arrangement to ensure that learning continues without disruption following the decision to keep educational institutions closed on Fridays. The minister praised students, teachers, and parents for their cooperation and patience as the province adjusts to the revised academic schedule.
An official notification issued by the Punjab Education Department confirmed that educational institutions will remain closed on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, effectively reducing the working academic week to four teaching days. The closure on Fridays applies to both government and private schools across the province, with no exceptions outlined in the notification. To compensate for the shortened week, the department has approved online instruction as a mechanism for maintaining educational continuity on the day schools are physically closed, ensuring that the academic calendar remains on track and that students do not fall behind in their coursework.
Under the revised schedule, regular school hours from Monday to Thursday will run from 8:00 am to 1:30 pm for single-shift schools. Double-shift schools will operate a condensed morning session from 8:00 am to 12:30 pm, while second-shift schools will continue to hold classes from 1:00 pm to 5:30 pm. The adjustment reflects a broader effort by the Punjab government to manage educational delivery in response to prevailing circumstances, while leveraging digital tools to ensure that neither teachers nor students are left without structured academic engagement during the additional day off. The province’s shift towards online learning as a supplementary mode of instruction also signals a continued push to integrate technology more deeply into the public education system.
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