Private schools across Punjab have rejected the provincial government’s latest directive to extend summer vacations, setting the stage for a standoff between the School Education Department and the private sector.
The Punjab government announced earlier this week that all educational institutions would remain closed until August 26, citing intense heatwaves and the ongoing monsoon season.
Private school associations, however, aren’t buying the justification.
They argue that the repeated extensions are crippling their academic calendars and causing irreparable harm to student learning outcomes.
“We aren’t closing our doors,” said Kashif Mirza, president of the All Pakistan Private Schools Federation. “
The government is making decisions in a vacuum without consulting the stakeholders who actually run these institutions.” The defiance stems from a long-standing friction over administrative control. Private school owners claim the provincial authorities use vacation extensions as a blunt instrument to manage public health risks, ignoring the operational costs such as staff salaries and rent that continue to accrue even when classrooms sit empty.
For parents, the move creates a logistical nightmare.
Many working families rely on the predictability of the school schedule.
With institutions now signaling they will defy the order, those parents face a choice: keep children home to comply with the official mandate or send them to school, potentially violating government policy.
Education officials in Lahore remain firm on the mandate.
A spokesperson for the School Education Department reiterated that the notification is binding for all private and public institutions, suggesting that those who ignore the order could face heavy fines or even the suspension of their registration.
Behind the rhetoric lies a deeper issue the lack of a standardized policy that balances public safety with the autonomy of the private education sector.
As of Tuesday, the provincial education ministry has not indicated any willingness to negotiate, leaving school administrations to decide whether to risk their licenses or yield to the pressure of a government mandate they deem impractical.
The uncertainty leaves thousands of students caught in the middle of a bureaucratic tug-of-war, with no clear resolution in sight before the scheduled reopening date.
