Former Punjab Education Minister Murad Raas has criticized the province’s extended summer holidays, questioning why public and private schools remain closed for such a long period while Army Public Schools (APS) and Pakistan Air Force (PAF) schools continue their academic activities.
Raas said Punjab students are experiencing what he described as the longest summer vacation he has seen. Schools were closed in May and are scheduled to reopen on August 24, keeping students away from regular classroom learning for more than three months.
He questioned the reasoning behind the prolonged closure and expressed concern that students may be losing valuable learning time. The former minister also questioned why schools operating under different administrative systems were able to continue academic activities during the extended break.
The Punjab government extended the summer break because of severe heatwave conditions, while authorities have also planned remedial learning camps to help students address learning gaps caused by the prolonged closure.
The issue has renewed debate over the balance between student safety during extreme weather and maintaining academic continuity.
