Winter Breaks Announced in Pakistani Schools Amid Smog Concerns And Severe Cold

The governments in three provinces of Pakistan - Punjab, Sindh, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa - have announced their plans for winter vacation breaks, exercising caution due to severe cold and smog levels across the country.

Schools in **Punjab**, the worst-hit province by smog, will be given a 22-day break from December 20, 2024, to January 10, 2025. This includes two weekly offs on January 11-12. The decision has been taken as an addendum to their 24-day winter break, announced by the Punjab education department earlier. In addition, public and private schools in Lahore must continue to enforce the mandatory use of face masks within school premises to ensure adherence to health and safety norms. Failure to do so may result in school closure, as ordered by the Lahore High Court due to smog concerns. In **Sindh**, schools will be closed for 11 days, beginning December 22, 2024, and concluding December 31. According to the provincial government, the decision has been made following a Sub-Committee meeting of the Steering Committee on Education. This development comes as the **Khyber Pakhtunkhwa** government announced that schools in winter zones will observe a winter break from December 22 to 31, similar to the announcement by the KD government in Punjab. **Balochistan** seems to be implementing a more diverse winter break schedule. Those living in cold regions can anticipate a two-month holidays whereas those in warmer areas can enjoy a dates defined by the provincial government. Once the winter breaks come to an end, students will have to stand back in school with strict COVID-19 protocols in place and monitored strict health measures guidelines under persistent observation to minimize the overall impact. As winter affects the country, provincial governments have issued these instructions in order to minimize health risks.

This regulation in the coming weeks and months will keep the children at school on track while making sure that everybody involved stay safe and secure during the cold winter while rules adapt to changing situations related to soaring smog and viruses.