Punjab bows to public pressure, extends school holidays by one week

Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat announces extension after conducting poll on social media amid severe cold

In view of the ongoing severe cold weather, the Punjab government has decided to extend winter vacations in educational institutions by one week to safeguard students’ health.

Punjab’s Provincial Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat announced the extension after conducting a public poll on social media. Following public consultation, it was decided that schools and colleges across the province will now reopen on January 19 instead of January 12.

The education minister stated that the decision was taken keeping in mind the harsh weather conditions and the well-being of students.

In view of the prolonged severe winter spell and the forecast of extremely low temperatures in the coming days, and on the advice of PDMA, the Government of Punjab has decided to extend winter vacations till 19th January for all Government and Private schools across the province,…

— Rana Sikandar Hayat (@RanaSikandarH) January 10, 2026

He revealed that the public response strongly favored the extension, with approximately 87 percent of participants supporting prolonged holidays, while around 13 percent preferred reopening on January 12.

The online poll recorded 154,178 votes in favour of January 19, whereas 24,829 votes were cast for January 12.

Rana Sikandar Hayat directed all Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of education departments in their respective districts to ensure strict implementation of the decision.

Meanwhile, the All Pakistan Private Schools Management Association has rejected the extension of holidays. The association’s president stated that students have already suffered significant educational loss and announced that private schools would reopen on Monday, January 12 as originally scheduled.

It is worth mentioning that the Meteorological Department has forecast a gradual decrease in the intensity of winter in the coming week.

Read More: Punjab schools to reopen amid freezing weather from Jan 12

Interestingly, a day ago,the provincial government had ruled out an extension of the winter holidays, announcing that all educational institutions would reopen on January 12 as scheduled.

Amid swirling rumours of extension in winter vacations, the minister had to take his social media account to coutner the propagaganda, terming the reports “fake and misleading”.