PESHAWAR: The government’s announcement of winter vacation cancellation caused a lot of confusion among the administrations and students of universities on Friday.

The higher education department announced that winter holidays for all public and private sector universities and colleges in the summer zone had been “waived off.”

It also declared that all winter zone colleges and universities would remain closed from Dec 1 to Feb 15.

However, the Institute of Management Sciences Peshawar and Bacha Khan University Charsadda announced the start of the winter break from Dec 25.

The winter vacation in the IMS will last until Dec 30 and in the Bacha Khan University Charsadda until Jan 3.

Dept cancels vacation but IMS, Charsadda varsity to close campus

The Bacha Khan University announced the winter break for students from Dec 26 to Jan 3.

Heads of departments, members of the administration staff, and the conveners and members of the convocation committee will remain present at the workplace.

A teacher of the University of Peshawar told Dawn that the faculty members were in constant contact with the administration for the winter vacation decision.

He, however, said the administration was not clear on the matter.

The Peshawar Valley and all southern districts of the province are located in the summer zone and northern parts, including Malakand and Hazara divisions, in the winter zone.

The elementary and secondary education department also announced on Thursday that there won’t be winter break in the winter zone schools to address learning losses caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Private Schools Regulatory Authority also directed all privately-owned educational institutions in the province to follow the department’s winter and summer vacation orders “in letter and spirit.”

Meanwhile, people in Charsadda rejected the elementary and secondary education department’s decision about the winter vacation as an unwise move.

They told reporters that the district was in the grip of heavy fog and severe cold, leaving the schoolchildren vulnerable to cold-related diseases, so they should be asked to stay home until the situation improved.

The residents said excessive power outages and low gas pressure had added to the misery of minor students.

They demanded of the government to withdraw the immediate cancellation of winter holidays to the relief of schoolchildren.

Published in Dawn, December 24th, 2022