The notification outlines a comprehensive list of days of national significance and religious festivals for Muslims and minority communities. PHOTO: FILE
RAWALPINDI:
The three major associations representing private educational institutions have strongly criticized the closure of schools, colleges and universities from March 10 to March 31, calling the decision a serious blow to the country’s teaching and learning system. They have demanded the immediate reopening of all educational institutions.
According to the associations’ leaders, February and March are among the most crucial months in the professional calendar, as they are key periods for teaching, admission and exam preparation.
Abrar Ahmed Khan, chairman of the All Pakistan Private Schools Management Association, said that a country where 200 out of 365 days are public holidays cannot hope to achieve meaningful educational progress.
He added that private school representatives had repeatedly staged protests over excessive vacations, but the issue remained unresolved, leaving the education system severely disrupted.
Irfan Muzaffar Kiani, chairman of the All Pakistan Private Schools and Colleges Association, said that the period from February to the end of March is the peak season for new admissions, annual examinations and coaching classes for students and intermediate students.
He warned that keeping institutions closed for most of March would seriously undermine the education system as students’ studies were already affected.
He noted that special preparatory classes for matriculation and intermediate exams – usually held in schools before board exams – had been suspended due to the closures.
“With students remaining idle just three weeks before their graduation, their preparation will inevitably suffer,” he said, urging authorities to reopen senior classes without delay.
Meanwhile, All Pakistan Private Schools Association (Registered) Chairman Malik Naseem Ahmed called for immediate reopening of class 9, 10, first year and second year as their board exams are imminent and students require proper preparation.
Noting that even countries facing conflicts keep their educational institutions open, he added that closing them in Pakistan was hard to understand and detrimental to education.
He further noted that admissions for classes I to VIII are currently underway and warned that the closure of schools could also undermine efforts to bring out-of-school children into the education system.
Survey to document children who do not attend school
On the other hand, the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training has launched a comprehensive “No Child Left Behind” door-to-door survey and enrollment campaign across Union Councils in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) to identify and enroll out-of-school children.
The initiative aims to ensure that all children in ICT have access to education by conducting a detailed household survey at EU Council level. The campaign is carried out with the joint participation of stakeholders in the education sector, public authorities and private organisations. During the campaign, the General Directorate of Primary Education will investigate nine trade union councils.
BECS formally launched its field survey on Monday, March 9, 2026 from Dhobi Ghaat, G-6/2, Islamabad, where survey teams started door-to-door visits to collect information about out-of-school children and encourage parents to enroll them in nearby educational institutions.
