K-P schools to observe 7:30am–3pm timings

The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Education Department has drastically altered school timings across government institutions.

According to a formal notification issued by the department, all government schools will now begin classes at 7:30 am. Primary schools will close at 1:35 pm, middle schools at 2:35 pm, while high and higher secondary schools will end at 3:00 pm. The new schedule includes Friday, Saturday, and Sunday as weekly holidays.

Class duration has also been extended from the previous 45 minutes to 50 minutes to compensate for the shortened school day.

The move has left many puzzled, especially as it comes at a time when student attendance is already low. Ninth and tenth-grade students are currently appearing in their annual board examinations, resulting in significantly reduced numbers in higher classes. Meanwhile, annual examinations for primary and middle school students are scheduled to begin in the coming days and are expected to conclude by the end of May 2026, with results likely to be announced shortly thereafter. Summer vacations are set to start from June 1.

Teachers have strongly criticised the timing of the decision. Speaking to this correspondent, members of the teaching community questioned the rationale behind changing school hours at this stage.

"Why change the timings now when exams are ongoing or about to begin and summer break is only a few weeks away?" one senior teacher remarked. "It would have been far more practical to simply do away with the Friday and Saturday holidays instead of introducing these odd hours. With summer vacations starting on June 1, there is hardly any time left for these new timings to make any meaningful difference."

The teaching fraternity has appealed to the provincial government and Education Department authorities to review and reconsider the new school timings in view of the current academic calendar and the approaching summer break.