Schools in Sindh and Balochistan will resume classes from April 1 (Wednesday) and follow a five-day working week amid the fuel crisis, the provincial governments said on Tuesday.

On March 9, the Balochistan provincial government had announced that educational institutions, including schools, colleges and universities, would remain closed from March 10 to March 31 due to the global fuel crisis triggered by the US-Israel war on Iran.

According to a notification posted on the provincial government’s X account, it was announced that “all schools (public and private) in Balochistan shall re-open with effect from April 1 (Wednesday)”.

However, it added that due to the current fuel situation, “all schools (public & private), the provincial directorate, divisional directorates and the district offices of the School Education Department shall observe a five-day working week (Monday to Friday)”.

Saturday and Sunday will remain off, the notification said.

“All examinations/assessments shall be conducted as per the notified schedule, regardless of [the] above weekdays/weekends,” it added, directing relevant authorities to ensure strict compliance.

Sindh schools to also open, with classes five days a week

Meanwhile, Sindh Education Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah, in a statement, said that the new academic year would resume from April 1, with Saturday and Sunday off as part of the austerity measures.

Earlier this month, the provincial government announced that schools across the province would go on “spring vacation” from March 16 to 31, while colleges and universities would switch to online classes.

Talking to Dawn, a spokesperson for the education minister, Atif Vighio, explained that in-person classes in schools would begin on April 1 with the start of the new academic session.

A separate notification issued by the Sindh School Education and Literacy Department said that all public and private schools under its administrative control would observe a five-day working week from April 1 until further notice.

Separately, Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon, addressing a press conference in Karachi, said that “all educational institutes will now remain open” in the province.

“All schools, colleges, and universities will have regular classes rather than online classes,” he said, adding that classes will run for five days a week. The minister also said that the five-day working week will continue.

A day earlier, the Punjab government also announced that educational activities in the province would resume from April 1 (tomorrow), with classes taking place five days a week.