LAHORE, Pakistan — The Punjab government announced on Friday that all educational institutions and schools in the province will be closed from December 23 to January 6 for winter holidays.
Dr. Murad Raas, Punjab Education Minister, also tweeted the announcement on his Twitter account.
“From December 23rd, 2021 to January 6th, 2022, all public and private schools in Punjab will be closed for winter holiday.” “Please be vaccinated and follow the government’s SOPs,” the provincial education minister posted on Twitter.
In contrast, the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has announced winter holidays for all public and private educational institutions in the province in accordance with a National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) order.
Winter holidays in plain parts of KP will begin on January 3, 2022, and would last through January 12, 2022, according to information (both days inclusive).
Similarly, winter holidays in mountainous, snowy parts of KP would begin on December 24, 2021 and would last on February 28, 2022. (both days inclusive).
Earlier today, the Lahore High Court (LHC) ordered school closures from December 23 to January 4, therefore nullifying the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) decision to arrange winter holidays at educational institutions beginning the final week of January 2022.
During the pollution case hearing, the LHC issued a final ruling and said that the decision to close schools was made after examining the detrimental consequences of smog in the city.
According to the public prosecutor, notification of school closures will be provided soon. The court went on to say that the ruling will assist to reduce the consequences of pollution.
In addition, Justice Shahid Karim postponed the hearing on the applications until next week.
Previously, the Lahore High Court (LHC) ordered the government to rethink its plan to close schools beginning December 20. If the government does not decide to close the schools, the court will issue its final decision, according to Justice Shahid Karim.
During the pollution case hearing, Justice Shahid Karim stated that there were growing worries about smog and that quick action would be required to prevent it. He said that the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) has made no real actions to address the pollution problem.
The LHC directed that the fines be collected from all liable parties within a week and that no concessions be made in the recovery of fines.
It should be noted that the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) agreed on Wednesday to start winter holidays at educational institutions the final week of January 2022.
The proposals gathered from the provincial ministers were examined at the conference. The parties decided to close educational facilities in areas experiencing severe snowfall.
The NCO was also ordered to continue the coronavirus immunisation process across the country.