Punjab Winter School Timings Confuse Students, Parents and Teachers
Key Takeaways
- District education authorities in Punjab issued individual notifications for revised winter school timings.
- Punjab Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat contradicted these district orders, stating the SED had issued no official notification.
- The conflicting announcements created widespread uncertainty among teachers, students, and parents regarding the correct school schedule.
- Stakeholders questioned whether the district-level timetables or the minister's statement should be followed.
- The public criticized the recurring mismanagement and poor coordination surrounding annual winter timing changes.
Widespread confusion enveloped Punjab's education system on Thursday due to conflicting announcements concerning revised winter school timings, impacting teachers, students, and parents. District education authorities (DEAs) across Punjab had separately issued notifications detailing new reporting hours for both staff and students in the afternoon. However, this was swiftly contradicted by Punjab Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat in the evening, who asserted on social media that the School Education Department (SED) had not released any official notification regarding these timings. The minister's statement instantly generated significant uncertainty, as district administrations had already disseminated the new timetables to schools and teaching staff. Consequently, many stakeholders questioned the validity of the district notifications versus the minister's clarification. This recurring mismanagement of annual winter timing changes drew sharp public criticism, highlighting perceived poor coordination between provincial and district education offices.
