The notification outlines a comprehensive list of days of national importance and religious festivals for Muslims and minority communities. PHOTO: ARCHIVE
RAWALPINDI:
The three main associations representing private educational institutions have strongly criticized the closure of schools, colleges and universities from March 10 to 31, describing the decision as a severe blow to the country’s teaching and learning system. They have demanded the immediate reopening of all educational institutions.
According to association leaders, February and March are among the most crucial months in the academic calendar, as they are key periods for teaching, admissions and exam preparation.
Abrar Ahmed Khan, president of Pakistan Private School Management Association, said a country where 200 of the 365 days are holidays cannot hope to make significant educational progress.
He added that representatives of private schools had organized repeated protests over excessive vacations, but the problem remained unresolved, leaving the education system severely disrupted.
Irfan Muzaffar Kiani, president of the Association of Private Schools and Universities of Pakistan, said the period between February and end of March is the peak season for new admissions, annual examinations and preparation classes for matriculants and intermediate students.
He warned that keeping institutions closed for most of March would severely undermine the education system, as students’ studies were already being affected.
He noted that special preparatory classes for matriculation and intermediate exams, which are normally held in schools before board exams, had been suspended due to the lockdowns.
“As students remain inactive for just three weeks before their exams, their preparation will inevitably suffer,” he said, urging authorities to reopen final year classes without delay.
Meanwhile, Malik Naseem Ahmed, president of Association of Pakistan Private Schools (Registered), called for immediate reopening of classes 9, 10, first and second year as board exams are imminent and students require proper preparation.
He commented that even countries facing conflict keep their educational institutions open, adding that closing them in Pakistan was difficult to understand and detrimental to education.
He further noted that admissions for classes I to VIII are currently underway and warned that closure of schools could also undermine efforts to bring out-of-school children into the education system.
Survey to document out-of-school children
Furthermore, the Ministry of Federal Education and Vocational Training has launched a comprehensive door-to-door survey and registration drive in the union councils of the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) to identify and register out-of-school children.
The initiative aims to ensure that all children who use ICT have access to education by conducting a detailed household survey at the Union Council level. The campaign is being carried out with the joint participation of stakeholders from the education sector, government departments and private organizations. Within the framework of the campaign, the General Directorate of Community Basic Education Schools will survey nine Union Councils.
BECS formally launched its field survey on Monday, March 9, 2026 from Dhobi Ghaat, G-6/2, Islamabad, where the survey teams began door-to-door visits to collect information about out-of-school children and encourage parents to enroll them in nearby educational institutions.
