The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has announced the closure of schools, colleges, and universities across the province on Fridays and Saturdays as part of temporary fuel conservation measures.
According to separate notifications issued by the Elementary and Secondary Education Department and the Higher Education, Archives and Libraries Department, the decision was taken following a Provincial Cabinet meeting held on March 9 in view of the regional situation affecting petroleum supplies and prices.
The directives state that all public and private sector educational institutions under the Elementary and Secondary Education Department will remain closed on Fridays and Saturdays for a period of two months or until further orders. School administrations have been allowed to continue home schooling or online teaching wherever possible.
A similar notification issued by the Higher Education Department states that all public and private universities, degree awarding institutions, and colleges in the province will also remain closed on the same days.
The department has advised universities and colleges to adopt hybrid or online modes of instruction during the remaining working days wherever feasible. According to the notifications, the arrangements will remain in place for two months or until further instructions are issued by the provincial government.