RAWALPINDI: The Lahore High Court (LHC) Rawalpindi Bench on Monday admitted for regular hearing a petition challenging the Punjab government’s decision to extend summer vacations in schools until August 31.

The petition was filed by a seventh-grade student arguing that the government’s decision was “arbitrary and unlawful” and violated students’ fundamental right to education under Article 25-A of the Constitution.

LHC Justice Jawad Hassan heard the petition. Advocate Hafiz Waqar Ahmed Awan, representing the petitioner, argued that the Punjab School Education Department had issued impugned notifications on August 7 and 8, extending the holidays beyond the original reopening date of August 15 without any “legal, factual, or reasonable justification” such as extreme weather or health emergencies.

The petition said that schools in Islamabad, sharing the same climate and geography as Rawalpindi, had reopened on schedule while the federal government and Fazaia schools within Rawalpindi were also functional. In contrast, Punjab government schools remained closed which the petitioner termed discriminatory.

The extension, the petition contended, reduces an already limited academic year. For the 2025-26 session, only 187 days had been allocated with just 145 effective teaching days after holidays. The prolonged closure, it argued, would cause “irreparable educational loss” and hinder syllabus completion, particularly for exam-bound classes.

It also pointed out that the blanket order applied even to cooler regions such as Murree and Kotli Sattian, showing “non-application of mind” to diverse climatic conditions across Punjab. The move, it added, broke from Punjab’s long-established vacation calendar (June 1- August 14) without exceptional circumstances, violating the doctrine of legitimate expectation.

The petition warned of deepening inequality, arguing that the closure disproportionately harmed underprivileged students since private tuition centers remained open, benefitting only those who could afford them. The government’s own August 13 notification, which allowed classes 9-12 to resume, was also cited as evidence of “uncertainty and indecisiveness.”

Placing the issue in a wider context, the petition referenced Pakistan’s ongoing “education emergency,” citing Unesco and World Bank reports that pointed to low learning outcomes, 22 million out-of-school children, and insufficient education spending (1.7–2.0pc of GDP).

Justice Jawad Hassan, who heard the case, expressed displeasure over the government’s decision, observing that education was the fundamental right of children and that they could not be deprived of it. “Sometimes schools are closed in the name of fog and sometimes in the name of heat,” he remarked, questioning under which policy the holidays had been extended.

The court noted that parents pay substantial fees for their children’s education.

The petition alleged that the Punjab government’s notifications violated multiple constitutional provisions, including Article 25-A (right to education), Article 25 (equality before law), and Articles 4, 9, and 18 (due process, dignity of life, and freedom of trade/profession, particularly for private schools).

Justice Hassan has issued notices to the Punjab Education Secretary and other respondents to submit their replies.

Published in Dawn, August 19th, 2025