The Sindh government has restored a six-day working week for all public and private schools and colleges across the province, with educational institutions set to operate from Monday to Saturday from August 1 until further orders.
The decision was announced through separate notifications issued by the School Education and Literacy Department and the College Education Department, replacing the departments’ previous orders issued on March 31.
The move follows calls from several teachers to reinstate Saturday classes. They argued that the weekly holiday had disrupted classroom continuity, slowed students’ academic progress and reduced overall teaching time.
According to the teachers, the extended weekend also affected students’ learning aptitude, classroom engagement and overall academic performance.
Under the revised schedule, all schools and colleges under the administrative control of the two departments will observe a six-day working week.
The College Education Department also issued updated working hours. Morning-shift colleges will operate from 8:30am to 1:30pm from Monday to Thursday and on Saturdays, while Friday timings will be from 8:30am to 11:30am.
Evening-shift colleges will remain open from 3pm to 7pm from Monday to Thursday and on Saturdays, and from 2:30pm to 5pm on Fridays.
The latest decision reverses a March 31 notification under which Saturday and Sunday were declared weekly holidays at educational institutions as part of austerity and fuel conservation measures introduced to address the economic impact of the US-Israeli war on Iran.
A spokesperson for the Sindh chief minister said that the earlier decision had been intended to apply only to students. However, the spokesperson pointed out that many teachers also stopped attending schools on Saturdays, reducing classroom instruction and delaying completion of the annual curriculum.
The notifications state that the restored six-day working week will remain in force from August 1 until further orders.
