3-month long summer vacation announced for Punjab schools

Punjab Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat on Monday announced a three-month-long summer vacation for schools in the province. In a statement released by his spokesperson, he said that the summer break would begin on May 22 and would end on August 23. He said that schools in the province would then open on August 24. The minister also posted the same on his official Facebook account. Last month, schools in the province were advised to alter working hours or declare early summer holidays due to excessive heat, which has prevailed over parts of the country over the past few weeks. The Punjab Disaster Mana­­gement Authority had issued urgent directives to educational instit­utions and district admi­nistrations across the province in view of a heatwave. The advisory had stated that schools should alter working hours or declare early summer holidays if excessive heat persisted; suspend all outdoor sports and activities immediately; ensure uninterrupted availability of clean, cold drinking water; maintain functional ventilation, fans, and cooling systems; and tell students to wear loose, light-coloured clothing.