ISLAMABAD: Educational institutions working under the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) will observe winter vacation from December 26 till 31.

According to the FDE spokesman, Tahir Bhatti, there was a proposal to skip winter vacation this year to make up for the loss suffered by students because of the extended summer vacations.

Schools were supposed to open on August 18 but the FDE kept them closed for more than a month as many educational institutions had been occupied by police from Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab who had been called to the capital following the sit-in announced by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT).

However keeping in view the harsh winter, the FDE has decided to allow institutions to observe winter vacation as per the calendar.

The FDE looks after the affairs of over 422 educational institutions of the federal capital – 393 schools and 31 colleges.

Mr Bhatti, however, said an official notification in this regard would be issued in the coming days.

FDE Director-General Aamir Ashraf Khawaja has confirmed that educational institutions would observe winter vacation in accordance with the annual calendar.

Published in Dawn, December 9th, 2014