Punjab Minister for Education Rana Sikandar Hayat Khan has said that all educational institutions across the province will start functioning from April 1 (Wednesday), 2026, and the educational process will start five days a week.

Rana Sikandar Hayat said on Monday that no hybrid system is under consideration, and CCTV cameras are being used for monitoring of 246 examination centres. The Provincial Minister for Education further revealed “we are introducing some changes in the educational system.”

Rana Sikandar Hayat said that full time will be granted to every candidate from next year to complete their studies before appearing in the examination. He agreed “Attending lectures by students online is a difficult process”.  He said that 70 percent of free textbooks are also distributed in different districts of Punjab.

Earlier this month, the provincial government had ordered the closure of all educational institutions from March 10 to 31 as part of measures to ease economic pressure, particularly the sharp rise in petroleum prices triggered by the ongoing Middle East conflict.

It was learnt that authorities had been weighing several options to tackle the emerging energy crisis, including extending school holidays and reducing market hours to curb fuel consumption.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)