Winter vacations to begin all across Pakistan

Temperatures are dropping, and it is the time of the year when winter vacations begin all across Pakistan. 

Traditionally, school-going children from mountainous regions get prolonged holidays, while children from the plains get a brief break for the last ten days of the last month of the year. 

For 2024, some changes have been made to the schedule. 

Punjab

In Punjab, vacations will last 20 days, unlike previous years. Secretary of Schools Punjab, Khalid Nazir Wattoo, revealed in a statement that winter vacations in Punjab will begin on December 20 and will last until January 10.

The change is in response to shifting weather patterns, smog, and climate change, which have prompted the Punjab government to redesign its policies for the coming season.

“However the school will reopen from 13th January due to weekly offs of Saturday and Sunday on January 11 and 12”, the Secretary of School Education stated in the official notification.

Sindh

Sindh School Education Department announced that all the public and private schools and colleges across Sindh will remain closed for winter vacations from December 22, 2024 (Sunday) to December 31, 2024 Tuesday.

 
Schools and colleges are expected to reopen on January 1, 2025 (Wednesday).

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, in an official statement, announced the schedule for winter vacations in schools across the various regions of the province.

The schedule says that schools in the plain areas of KP will observe winter vacations from December 22 to 31, 2024.

However, the schools in the mountainous regions will remain closed for an extended period of time from December 22 to February 28, 2025, because of harsh weather conditions.

Balochistan

Balochistan government has also announced winter vacations for educational institutions across the province, which also varies for schools in cold and warm regions.

Schools in cold regions will remain closed from December 16 to February 28 and will reopen on March 1, 2025. 

Meanwhile, in the warmer regions, the vacations will begin on January 1 and conclude on January 10.

Keeping the harsh conditions in check, Bolan Medical College (BMC) in Quetta has also declared winter vacations in an official announcement. The college will remain closed for teaching purposes from December 16 until February 28, 2025.

However, the teaching and administrative staff is required to ensure their presence.