All Punjab schools to remain open Monday as authorities debunk fake holiday notice

LAHORE: 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. Meanwhile, authorities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have announced closures in specific districts rather than across the entire province. 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. In Lower Dir, all public and private schools, colleges and universities will remain closed on October 12 and 13, the district administration said. 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 said revised dates would be announced later. The Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education Malakand has also postponed all SSC Annual-II 2026 examination papers until further orders, according to an announcement on its official website.