Punjab schools to reopen April 1 with full five-day week

Punjab Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat said schools across the province will reopen from April 1, restoring a regular five-day in-person schedule.

He said a notice circulating on social media claiming that schools would remain open only four days a week was false. According to the minister, universities, colleges and schools will all resume physical classes on the standard weekly timetable, with no shift to hybrid or online learning.

The earlier closure, which ran from March 10 to March 31, had been ordered as part of broader relief measures linked to economic pressure caused by higher petroleum prices amid the Middle East crisis. The federal government has meanwhile continued urging citizens to avoid unnecessary travel and support austerity measures.