LAHORE: Punjab Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat has opposed a proposal to keep schools closed three days a week, saying that closing schools on Fridays would not produce any meaningful savings.
In an interview, the minister said that, as Punjab’s education minister, no proposal on keeping schools closed for three days had so far been placed before him.
Rana Sikandar Hayat urged the federal government to exempt the education sector from such restrictions, saying schools should continue to function normally.
He stressed that education must be exempted and that schools should remain open on all scheduled teaching days of the week.
The minister argued that closing schools on Fridays would bring no significant savings in diesel or other expenses, because about 90 percent of children in government schools walk to school.
He added that roughly 90 percent of children in private schools also walk to school, which means school closures would not achieve the objective of saving fuel.
The debate follows a high-level review in Islamabad of fuel-saving options, including a petroleum smart lockdown under which offices would work four days a week with Friday, Saturday and Sunday observed as holidays. Traders warned against the proposal, and a federal minister said no decision on a lockdown had been taken.
The federal government has since issued an austerity notification cutting official fuel use, restricting business hours and limiting government spending, while noting that provinces may consider similar steps. The minister’s comments are a clear signal that Punjab does not see education as the right place to cut.
Education experts have long warned about the cost of lost school days. Pakistan already has one of the world’s largest populations of out-of-school children, and closures during the COVID-19 pandemic, smog seasons and extreme heat have repeatedly disrupted learning.
Each extended closure widens the gap between children who have learning support at home and those who do not, with students in low-income and rural areas usually losing the most.
The minister’s argument rests on how students actually travel. If most children walk, the fuel saved by closures would come mainly from school vans, buses and private cars, a relatively small share of total consumption, while the educational cost would be borne by every student.
Policy analysts say such cost-benefit reasoning is essential when governments consider emergency measures, so that savings are sought where they are largest and the social cost is lowest.
It remains to be seen whether any formal proposal on school closures reaches the Punjab government. For now, the province’s education leadership has made its position clear: schools should stay open and education should be shielded from austerity restrictions.
Parents and teachers’ associations are likely to welcome the stance, given repeated disruptions to academic calendars in recent years.
Teachers point out that Friday is already a shortened day in many schools because of Jumma prayers, which means closing it would save little travel while still cutting into teaching time. For students preparing for board examinations, even a single lost day each week could add up to weeks of missed lessons over a term.
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