With temperatures expected to soar due to an impending heatwave, the Government of Punjab has decided to close all public and private schools in the province from May 25 to May 31 in order to ensure the safety of students.
Severe heatwaves will sweep most parts of the country over the coming days, the Meteorological Department warned last Thursday, forecasting dust storms, thunderstorms, and heavy rains in the country’s northern areas.
The presence of high pressure in the upper atmosphere will result in heatwave conditions in most parts of the country, especially Punjab and Sindh from May 21 and a severe heatwave from May 23 to 27, the advisory had warned.
In light of the advisory, the provincial government in Punjab decided today to close schools for seven days.
However, a notification it issued stated that examinations will still be carried out “as scheduled”, with “necessary precautions to ensure the safety of students”.
The decision to temporarily close schools came after the Punjab government last week reduced the timings of all public and private schools from May 18 to May 31.
It had also instructed school heads to ensure that fans were in working condition, water coolers were available and that no student was made to sit in an open space or school lawn during the summer.
Punjab’s decision to close schools came a day after Sindh postponed matric exams in the province from May 21 to 27.
According to the notification dated Sunday, the decision was taken “in the wake of the heat wave alert issued by the NDMA & PDMA”.
“The SSC Part I and II 1st Annual Examination, scheduled to be held from May 21 to May 27 2024 are hereby postponed,” the notification reads, adding that the exams would continue with effect from May 28 onwards.
The Sindh government issued the new schedule today, saying that exams will now be held from May 28 to May 31.
Meanwhile, a revised forecast from the Met Office on Monday predicted that the temperatures across the province will be 2-8°C higher than usual, depending on the areas.
It also stated that the temperatures in Karachi division for the next three days would vary between 35°C and 38°C.
Describing the weather as “hot and humid” for all three days, the advisory added that areas including Dadu, Larkana and Shaheed Benazirabad would experience temperatures as high as 8°C above normal.
On Saturday, Shaheed Benazirabad recorded a maximum temperature of 48.5°C — the highest in Sindh over the weekend.
On Friday, the provincial government held a high-level meeting to assess the situation and form a strategy to tackle the heatwave, while health experts called upon the authorities to ensure supplies of clean water, gas and electricity to the public so they could protect themselves from the heatwave.
