School timings revised across Punjab as smog crisis worsens

Lahore: School timings have been revised across Punjab amid worsening smog conditions. As per the notification, no educational institution will be allowed to open before 8:45am

According to an official notification, the timings for all public and private schools in Punjab have been changed in response to the increase in smog intensity.

It further stated that any school opening before 8:45am will be considered in violation of the directive and may face fines ranging from Rs100,000 to Rs1 million.

The Punjab government officially revised school timings, effective immediately from October 27, 2025, until April 15, 2026.

According to the new schedule, announced by Provincial Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat on Sunday, all schools will now open at 8:45am and close at 1:30pm. Teachers, students, and parents have been directed to follow the new timings.

As per the notification, single-shift schools will operate from 8:45am to 1:30pm, while on Fridays, classes will end at 12:30pm. In double-shift schools, the first shift will run from 8:45am to 1:30pm and the second shift from 1:00pm to 4:00pm. Teachers have been instructed to remain on duty from 8:30am to 2:00pm, and from 8:30am to 12:30pm on Fridays.

Punjab’s major cities remain engulfed in heavy smog and hazardous air pollution, as air quality levels have plummeted to dangerous levels across the province.

According to the International Environmental Monitoring Agency IQAir, the Air Quality Index (AQI) reached the maximum value of 500 in Dera Ghazi Khan and Kasur at 9am, placing both cities among the most polluted in the world. These readings surpassed even Lahore, which has long been considered the country’s pollution hotspot.