Schools Demand End to Weekly Online Friday Classes

Private school owners have called for the restoration of physical classes on Fridays, urging authorities to end the mandatory “online-only” instruction day.

According to reports, education stakeholders from Punjab held a meeting on Wednesday to review academic performance and administrative challenges affecting the school system.

During the discussion, participants demanded the removal of the Friday online learning policy, arguing that it has not delivered the expected educational outcomes.

The meeting was chaired by Punjab Private Schools Body Chief Qazi Naeem Anjum, and included education experts such as Syed Faisal Gillani, Saleem Awan, and Hassan Minhas.

Qazi Naeem Anjum stated that maintaining strong academic standards requires at least 210 days of in-person classroom teaching annually.

Participants also raised concerns over delays in textbook publication, saying it has resulted in significant loss of academic time. They urged the government to ensure timely printing and distribution of books in the future.

In addition, private school representatives called on the Lahore Board to complete school affiliation extensions without further delay.

Education experts noted that frequent holidays and administrative delays are making it difficult to complete the syllabus on time, which is negatively impacting student performance.

They concluded that reducing weekly holidays has become necessary to maintain the effectiveness of the academic calendar.

Earlier, Punjab Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hyat clarified that Fridays would follow a “work from home” model instead of a full holiday, allowing online classes for all educational institutions.

He confirmed that government and private schools, colleges, and universities can conduct online learning on Fridays, while the regular weekend on Saturday and Sunday will remain unchanged.

The minister added that digital learning measures are being introduced to ensure continuity of education without wasting students’ academic time.