ISLAMABAD: All Pakistan Private Schools Federation (APPSF) on Saturday announced that there would be no summer holidays across the nationwide educational institutes in 2021. President APPSF Kashif Mirza said that the schools will remain open during the summer holidays and would remain open between 7:00 am to 11:00 am.

“The students could come to private schools in casual dress rather than in school uniforms,” he said adding that the decision was taken in view of hot weather conditions. Kashif Mirza further announced that educational institutes could also adopt online classes if they had the facility to do so. The schools across the country have already been reopened on the directives of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) as the government also plans to take physical examinations after COVID-19 cases have witnessed a declining trend.

Meanwhile, parents of matric and intermediate students have expressed concern over schools being opened at a time when summer vacations start under normal circumstances. They said children would suffer due to eight-hour-long classes in the hot and humid weather. “Opening schools amid the very hot weather is playing with the health of students,” the parents said, questioning the “wisdom” of opening educational institutes in the sweltering heat of June.