Private Schools in Sindh to Decide Weekly Working Days at Their Own Convenience
The Sindh Education and Literacy Department has announced that private schools in the province will be allowed to decide their weekly teaching and working days according to their own schedules and convenience, effective August 1.
A circular issued by the Directorate of Inspection and Registration of Private Institutions clarified a notification issued on July 29, which directed classes would be held six days a week at schools and colleges across Sindh from August 1 until further notice. However, this directive only applies to publicly managed institutions.
The new circular clarifies that privately managed schools are free to manage their weekly working days according to their own schedules and operational convenience. This decision is in line with the government’s efforts to reduce administrative burdens on educational institutions during a period of austerity measures aimed at addressing economic impacts resulting from international conflicts.
In its July 29 notification, seen by Dawn, the Education and Literacy Department stated that all public and private educational institutions under the administrative control of the School and Literacy Education Department will observe a six-day working week with effect from August 1. The College Education Department issued its own version of this notification on the same day.
The decision to introduce a six-day working week is part of efforts by the government to facilitate completion of the annual curriculum, which was affected by teachers’ refusal to work on Saturdays following the announcement in March that Saturday and Sunday would be “off” days at educational institutions. The new arrangement allows students to complete their studies more efficiently.
The Sindh chief minister’s spokesperson stated that while teachers stopped working on Saturdays as a result of this decision, it had still affected students’ education and completion of the annual curriculum. He emphasized that the six-day week was introduced to promote academic achievement.
Source: Dawn
Based on reporting from Dawn.
