Heatwave forces early summer break
In a welcome relief for students enduring the scorching heat as climate change increasingly disrupts daily life, the Punjab Education Department has announced summer vacations in schools amid rising temperatures.
The department decided to start the holidays earlier in light of the escalating heat.
According to a notification issued, summer vacations across schools in the province will commence from June 1.
Secretary School Education Punjab Khalid Nazir Wattoo informed the media that if temperatures continue to rise sharply, the schedule could be revised.
He clarified that if there was an extraordinary increase in temperatures, vacations could potentially begin a week earlier than currently planned.
The decision was made keeping in view the health and safety of parents, students and teachers, as severe heat can adversely affect children's academic activities.
It is worth mentioning that climate change has become an undeniable reality for Pakistan, directly threatening millions of lives. Heatwaves, intensified by shifting climate patterns, are growing more frequent, prolonged and severe, hitting hardest in communities with limited means to adapt.
In 2022, Pakistan was ranked the most vulnerable country to climate change, ahead of Belize and Italy, according to the Climate Risk Index (CRI) 2025 report released last month by the European think-tank Germanwatch.
Experts have warned that the intensity of heatwaves is increasing year by year, with far-reaching impacts on education, health and the economy.
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