Punjab Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat has opposed any proposal to close schools on Fridays, saying that educational institutions should continue operating five days a week.

Speaking to a reporter, Hayat said that no proposal for reducing school days had reached him as yet and appealed to the federal government to exempt schools from any fuel-saving measures.

“As of now, I am the Education Minister of Punjab. So far, no such suggestion has come before me. I categorically want to say through your program and I am saying this everywhere this is my request to the federal government: closing schools on Fridays will not result in any savings. 90 percent of children in government schools walk to school. 90 percent of children in PEF schools walk to school. So please, for God’s sake, exempt education; schools should continue five days a week.”

His remarks come amid reports that the federal government is considering stringent measures to reduce fuel consumption following the rise in petroleum prices.

Reports had suggested that government and private offices could move to a four-day working week, with Friday, Saturday and Sunday as holidays. A rotation-based work arrangement for government employees, along with changes to market timings and weekly closures, was also reportedly under consideration.

However, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting’s (MOIB) Fact Checker on Thursday clarified that a notification circulating on social media about changes to the working days of the Government of Pakistan was fake.

The purported notification claimed that Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday would be working days, while Friday, Saturday and Sunday would be off.

The fake notification was dated September 16, 2026 and attributed to the Cabinet Division, while also referring to an earlier notification allegedly issued on September 15.

The MOIB Fact Checker advised the public not to believe or share the misleading notification and urged citizens to rely on official government channels for authentic notifications and announcements.

It also advised the public to verify information circulating on social media through official sources before sharing it.