LAHORE: Punjab Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat on Wednesday announced that all schools across the province will reopen from April 1, ruling out any extension in the ongoing holidays.
The minister confirmed the decision in a post on X, stating that academic activities would resume in all educational institutions as scheduled.
Earlier, the Punjab government had ordered the closure of schools from March 10 to March 31 as part of measures aimed at easing economic pressure caused by rising petroleum prices linked to the Middle East conflict.
During the holiday period, authorities reviewed various options to address the emerging energy crisis, including extending school closures and reducing market hours to limit fuel consumption.
Sources said the Punjab Energy Department had also submitted recommendations proposing fuel rationing in line with federal measures to manage limited resources. Among the proposals were extending school holidays until April 15 and introducing a hybrid learning system to reduce energy use in the education sector.
The department further suggested a coupon-based or digital fuel distribution system and restricting fuel supply to vehicles on designated days as part of broader rationing measures.
However, the provincial government has decided to resume educational activities from April 1.