The Punjab School Education Department has instructed private schools to refrain from organizing winter camps during the upcoming 20-day winter break. The department has announced that the winter break will begin on December 23 and end on January 12, 2025, with schools set to reopen on January 13, 2025.
The directive was issued on Friday following requests from private school owners who wanted to hold winter camps to recover from unplanned holidays and cover the remaining syllabus. However, Khalid Nazeer Wattoo, the Punjab Secretary for School Education, denied the request and cautioned that any private school organizing winter camps during the vacation would face strict legal consequences.
Wattoo stressed that the winter holidays are crucial for students’ mental health. He recommended that teachers make up for the pending syllabus by arranging extra classes instead of organizing winter camps.