(Web Desk) — The Punjab government has announced that all government schools in the province will now remain closed on Saturdays. This initiative is aimed at reducing the workload on teachers and enhancing their professional development.

Punjab Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat made the announcement, stating that Saturdays will be dedicated to teachers’ training.

“معزز اساتذہ اکرام کی آسانی کے لیے پنجاب کے سکولوں میں سوموار سے جمعۃالمبارک کے دن تک یومیہ تدریسی اوقات کار بڑھانے اور ہفتہ کے دن مکمل چھٹی کرنے اور اس دن کو مرحلہ وار اساتذہ کی ٹریننگ، کپیسٹی بلڈنگ اور لیسن پلاننگ کے لیے استعمال کرنے بابت اپنی رائے سے آگاہ کریں۔اساتذہ پہلے ہی…”

— Rana Sikandar Hayat (@RanaSikandarH) June 24, 2024

The minister emphasized that the weekend holiday is part of a broader strategy to ease the heavy workload on teachers in government schools. “Teachers of government schools are burdened with work,” said Rana Sikandar Hayat. “The burden of teachers of government schools has been reduced.”

Starting this week, the academic schedule in Punjab’s government schools will run from Monday to Friday. Saturdays will be exclusively reserved for teacher training sessions, enabling educators to enhance their teaching skills and methodologies without the pressure of conducting regular classes.

In addition, the minister announced plans to extend the daily working hours of government schools, although specific details regarding this adjustment are yet to be revealed. This change aims to optimize instructional time during the weekdays, ensuring that the quality of education is maintained despite the introduction of the Saturday holiday.