Educational institutions across Punjab will remain open as usual on Monday, October 12, the provincial education department said, dismissing a notification circulating on social media about their closure as fake. A spokesperson for the Punjab School Education Department clarified that no decision had been taken to close educational institutions across the province and urged the public not to believe the misleading notification.
The Punjab Higher Education Department also rejected a fake notification claiming that public and private colleges and universities across the province would remain closed on Monday, confirming that they would operate as usual. The department emphasized that academic activities will continue without any interruption across all districts of Punjab.
Meanwhile, authorities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have announced closures in specific districts rather than across the entire province due to localized security concerns. In Peshawar, all public and private educational institutions will remain closed on Monday, according to an official announcement issued on Sunday.
In Malakand district, all public and private schools and colleges will remain closed for two days, according to a notification issued by the local administration. Similarly, in Lower Dir, all public and private schools, colleges, and universities will remain closed on October 12 and 13, the district administration confirmed.
Separately, the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) Bannu has postponed all Secondary School Certificate (SSC) Annual-II examination papers scheduled for Monday until further orders. The board stated that revised dates for these examinations would be announced at a later stage.
The Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) Malakand has also postponed all SSC Annual-II 2026 examination papers until further orders, according to an announcement on its official website. These measures are part of a broader strategy to ensure student safety.
The district-specific closures and examination postponements come amid heightened security concerns in parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Local administrations are monitoring the situation closely and will provide updates regarding the resumption of academic activities as the security environment stabilizes.
Parents and students are advised to rely only on official government channels for information regarding school closures. The provincial governments have warned that those spreading misinformation on social media platforms will face strict action under the law.
The Punjab government reiterated that it remains committed to ensuring that the academic calendar is followed strictly. Any changes to the schedule would be communicated through official press releases and verified departmental websites only.
As of Sunday evening, no other provinces have reported any plans for closures, and the situation remains normal in Sindh, Balochistan, and Islamabad Capital Territory. Students are encouraged to attend their classes as per their regular schedules unless notified otherwise by their respective institutions.