Pakistan: Schools to remain closed across Punjab, Islamabad on Monday

Islamabad [Pakistan], December 16 : Schools across Punjab and Islamabad will remain closed on Monday due to what officials described as a "security situation," according to notifications issued by authorities on Sunday.
The decision affects both public and private institutions, with officials in Rawalpindi specifically citing the 10th anniversary of the Army Public School (APS) attack as a reason for closures, Dawn reported.
The Punjab School Education Department announ
ced in its notification: "In view of the prevailing situation in the province, it has been decided that all public and private schools in Punjab will remain closed on 16 December, 2024 (Monday)." However, it clarified, "All offices will remain open and perform their functions as usual."
Islamabad's District Magistrate Irfan Nawaz Memon issued a similar directive, ordering the closure of all public and private schools and colleges within the capital's limits. Additionally, Lahore Deputy Commissioner (DC) Syed Musa Raza declared a holiday for all educational institutions in the district, while Rawalpindi Deputy Commissioner Hassan Waqar Cheema confirmed a similar closure in his jurisdiction. Cheema told Dawn.com that examinations scheduled for December 16 had been postponed.
In Rawalpindi, Cheema explained the closure was to observe the 10th anniversary of the APS attack in Peshawar, in which 141 people, including 131 schoolchildren, were killed in a terrorist attack on December 16, 2014. Schools operated by the Army Public Schools and Colleges System in Karachi will also remain closed to commemorate the tragedy, as confirmed in a message sent to parents.
While no explicit reason was cited for closures in other areas, the timing coincides with the solemn anniversary. However, parents voiced frustration over the repeated disruption of their children's education, reported Dawn.
Muhammad Riaz, whose son is in ninth grade in Rawalpindi, expressed his concern: "From November 24 to November 26, all the schools closed, and after this, schools again closed on December 16 when students appeared in [the] December examination, and it disturbed the schedule."
Another parent, Muhammad Afzal, echoed the sentiment, adding that while students enjoyed the holidays, parents worried about their studies. Mrs. Nadeem, the mother of an eleventh-grade student, criticised the school closures, saying: "We had to find coaching classes for the children so they would learn lessons from qualified teachers. We are wasting money in private colleges as they closed so many times."
School administrators and educators shared similar concerns. Sheharyar Anwar, principal of Siddeeq Public School, noted the challenge of meeting curriculum requirements: "We conducted classes in [a] few months only due to long holidays, and it affected the quality." He also pointed out that the provincial government's announcement of winter vacations starting next week would further impede learning.
Malik Abrar, President of the All Pakistan Private Schools and Colleges Association, criticised the frequent decisions to shut educational institutions, saying they were harmful to students. "Protests, cold, heat, smog holidays in the name of various days are destroying the future of education and increasing dropout rates," he said.
Abrar emphasised that December was a crucial period for students in grades nine to twelve as they prepared for exams. "Without in-person teaching, it would be difficult for them to complete the studies and revise (for exams)," he added.
Recent decisions to close schools due to environmental concerns have also taken a toll on education. Last month, the government ordered school closures across Punjab as air pollution levels reached unprecedented highs. Lahore recorded the worst air quality globally on November 7, with PM 2.5 concentrations exceeding World Health Organisation limits by over 100 times, Dawn reported.
Swiss air quality monitoring group IQAir classified Lahore's air as 'hazardous,' contributing to the closure of schools and further disruption to education in the province. Nearly half of Pakistan's school-age children -- approximately 26 million -- are reportedly out of school due to such challenges.