School timings reduced to 2-hour in Punjab; Here’s why

LAHORE: The Punjab Education Department has issued the datesheet for the mid-term school-based assessment 2025-26.

It carries a schedule of assessment papers for classes 1 to 8, with the first test taking place on December 12, 2025.

According to the official notification, morning shift schools would run from 9:30 am to 11:30 am for only two hours.

Furthermore, afternoon shift timing will be 2:00 am to 4:00 pm, while on Fridays, it will be 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm.

Punjab Winter vacations

In a recent development, the Punjab government has officially announced winter vacations for all educational institutions across the province.

The notification issued by the provincial education department states that the winter vacations will begin from December 23, 2025, and will continue till January 11, 2026. All schools will reopen on January 13, 2026, with the start of the new academic session.

The education department has made it clear that this schedule will be applicable equally to both government and private educational institutions; no school will be allowed to change the schedule on its own.

It should be noted that this decision has been taken in view of the severity of the cold and the health of the students so that children can be protected from diseases and return for the next academic session with better preparation during the holidays.

Earlier, the Punjab government had changed the working hours of schools due to the increasing intensity of smog. The notification stated that no educational institution would be able to open before 8:45 am.