Zubair Qureshi
Schools and colleges in Islamabad are reopening Monday (today) after expiry of the ‘extended’ winter holidays that were earlier scheduled from Dec 23, 2022 to January 02, 2023, but were given one-week extension owing to severe cold.
There were rumours taking round on social media on Sunday that the Punjab and the Federal governments both were mulling a further extension of one week in the 16-day vacation period because there was no letup in the winter conditions.
Even a number of fake notifications were shared on different social media sites to announce ‘extension’ in winter vacation.
However, the spokesperson for the Federal Ministry of Education & Professional Training made it clear that no further extension in holidays was being considered. All such notifications announcing one-week or two-week extension in the winter holidays are fake, he said.
Later, the Ministry of Education in a message also explained, “It is to clarify that no such decision has been taken to extend winter holidays any further in Islamabad Capital Territory. The attached document circulating on social media is “Fake” and needs not to be given attention. Let us all stay away from disinformation.”
Punjab’s Education minister Murad Raas in a message on social media while responding to the calls for further extension in schools’ holidays asked, “Why are parents/teachers/students wanting more winter holidays? We used to go to school in the same weather and never complained.
What is wrong with this generation – no one wants to do anything! Specially study.” Meanwhile, parents of the children of more than 450 schools and colleges under the Federal Directorate of Education seemed a little confused in face of an overwhelming rush of fake news regarding ‘extension in winter holidays.’
A majority of them however supported one more extension in holidays as temperature in the federal capital was freezing cold and most of the families remained indoors on Sunday despite it being a holiday.
“I would prefer to stay at home and keep my children as it is very hard to move your limbs in such cold weather,” said Iftikhar, a father of two school graders and a resident of Golra Sharif.
