ISLAMABAD: Educational institutions in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad will reopen on Wednesday (today).

“Reference to Cabinet Division’s notification dated 9th March, 2026, regarding implementation of austerity and fuel conservation measures wherein all schools shall observe Spring Holidays from 16th March 2026 to 31st March 2026, it is herby now notified that on the conclusion of spring break all educational institutions under the administrative control of FDE shall resume academic activities including admission process with effect from 01-04-2026,” read a notification issued by Federal Directorate of Education (FDE).

It stated that new academic session shall commence physically on April 6.

Institutions offering BS programmes shall commence their classes physically from April 1.

Meanwhile, the Higher Education Commission (HEC) also issued a similar notification stating that all universities and degree awarding institutions may resume physical classes from April 1, 2026.

In Rawalpindi, the educational institutions in the garrison city will open for classes after 21 days break.

Punjab School Education Department has announced that all public and private schools across the province will reopen from April 01, following which, educational institutions in Rawalpindi will commence in-person classes on the same date. The schools closed on March 10 to overcome the fuel crisis triggered by the US-Israel War on Iran, and the provincial government had announced that educational institutions, including schools, colleges and universities, would remain closed from March 10 to March 31.

In private schools, the online classes continued during that time, yet no online classes were held in government-run schools. However, the private schools association criticised the government over the closure of schools.

Published in Dawn, April 1st, 2026