As massive heat waves will hit many areas of Pakistan in the coming days, the government of Punjab Province decided to reduce the school timings in all public as well as private schools across Punjab starting from 18 May.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department warned that because of high pressure in the upper atmosphere, heat waves will occur in most parts of the country mainly affecting Punjab and Sindh from May 21 and onwards.
During the day temperatures will remain 4 to 6 degrees Celsius above normal in Punjab and Sindh. The government told people to stay inside, drink plenty of water, and avoid unnecessary exposure to sunlight.
The Punjab government of school education states that due to the severity of the weather, the schools all across the province will operate from 7 am to 11:30 am for all days of the week except for Friday. On Friday school timings will be 7 am to 10 am.
The notification also instructed that school heads should also take some precautionary measures to ensure the health of students. The schools should ensure that fans are working properly, the presence of water coolers is necessary, and it is the responsibility of the teachers to make sure that no student is sitting on the school lawn or in an open space.
The government advised the Heads of schools to fulfill the instructions mentioned above with utmost attention. Minister of School Education, Rana Sikandar stressed the dire need for taking immediate action, emphasizing that everyone plays a vital role in reducing the effects of climate change.
Another notification said that summer vacations for all private and public schools would start on June 1st and schools would reopen on 15 August 2024.
