Winter vacations for Pakistan schools from January 3: NCOC

ISLAMABAD:-Winter vacations for schools across Pakistan, except for those in areas affected by extreme weather conditions, will begin from January 3, the National Command and Operation Centre has announced.

During a meeting on Friday, Federal Planning Minister Asad Umar observed that millions of students in the country remain unvaccinated, and data suggests that children may be susceptible to coronavirus infections.

“The decision has been taken to maximise vaccine uptake amongst students at educational institutions, which can be best achieved when schools are open,” the forum stated in a press release.

Umar has urged parents to get their children vaccinated at the earliest to protect them and those around them. In the light of the Omicron variant and an upsurge in its cases, it will prudent to schedule winter vacations in Pakistan in January to coincide with the potential uptick of cases.

“This will allow for minimal disruption of educational calendars if there is a surge in cases.”

Students have, on the other hand, been demanding early winter vacations on Twitter and other social media platforms.

Last week, the Sindh government announced that all schools and colleges in the province will stay closed for winter vacations from December 20 to January 01.

The Sindh Education Department issued a statement on Thursday, saying “all educational institutes” would stay closed between December 20 and January 1. Schools and colleges will reopen on Monday, January 3.