A committee established under the instructions of the Lahore High Court Rawalpindi Bench has recommended implementing a uniform academic calendar for all schools and colleges across Punjab. Under this proposal, educational institutions would be required to complete 190 teaching days each year. The committee also suggested a significant reduction in the length of summer vacations.
According to sources, the committee recommended reducing the current two-and-a-half-month summer break to just six weeks. Over the past four months, the committee held three meetings, with the third meeting finalizing the recommendations. This meeting was held in Lahore, chaired by the Secretary of School Education, while the Special Secretary of School Education, Muhammad Iqbal, supervised the proceedings.
The committee’s report states that under the proposed academic calendar, the total annual holidays would be 175 days, while the number of teaching and academic days would remain 190. The committee highlighted that in recent years, the continuous increase in holidays has severely affected the education system, particularly in higher grades, where curricula are not completed on time, negatively impacting students’ academic performance.
Private educational organizations have also supported the committee’s recommendations, stating that a uniform and balanced academic calendar will improve educational standards and make it easier for students to complete the curriculum.
Following the release of the committee’s recommendations, Muhammad Iqbal, Special Secretary of the Punjab School Education Department, instructed the Punjab Education Curriculum and Testing Authority (PECTA) and the Director of Public Instruction (Elementary and Secondary) to prepare a uniform academic calendar within three days.
It is worth noting that this committee was formed by Justice Jawad Hasan during the hearing of a constitutional petition challenging the increase in holidays in Punjab’s educational institutions. The committee’s report is expected to be presented to the court in the next hearing, after which a final decision regarding the academic calendar is anticipated.
