Schools across Punjab reopen tomorrow; flood zones remain shut

Schools across Punjab are set to reopen on September 1 after the summer break, but educational institutions located in flood-affected areas will remain closed for an extended period, 24NewsHD TV channel reported on Sunday.

Deputy commissioners of flood-hit districts, including Lahore, Sialkot, Shakargarh, Pakpattan, Narowal, Hafizabad, Muzaffargarh, Toba Tek Singh, and Multan, issued official notifications.

In Lahore, schools will resume on September 1, except those situated in flood-hit localities, which will remain shut until further orders. Parents have been advised to stay in contact with school management for updates.

All schools in Shakargarh city and its adjoining areas will remain closed for one week starting tomorrow.

In Sialkot, the Deputy Commissioner’s office has also announced the suspension of academic activities in all government and private colleges and universities.

As per the official notification, higher education institutions across the district will remain closed from September 1 to September 5.

In Hafizabad, as many as 145 schools in flood-affected areas will remain closed until September 5.

The Government Special Education School in Pindi Bhattian is also among those shut, while the rest of the district’s schools will reopen as scheduled.

In Pakpattan, the deputy commissioner ordered 12 schools to remain closed indefinitely, while in Narowal, schools will stay shut until September 5.

In Multan District, all schools will reopen except for 23 institutions—8 in Jalalpur Pirwala, 9 in Shujabad, and 5 in Saddar—where holidays have been extended. Among them, 16 schools are currently being used as flood relief camps.

 Out of these, 16 are currently being used as flood relief camps, while seven remain submerged in water.

Schools such as Govt Primary School Nowshera, Govt Girls Primary School Basti Pehoran, Govt High School Khan Bela, and Govt Girls High School Sher Shah are among those affected.

The academic system in 64 schools of Chiniot could not yet be restored, and students may temporarily be shifted to nearby institutions to continue learning.

In Burewala, classes remain suspended in 60 flood-affected schools, although all other institutions in the district will resume as normal.

The district administration assured parents that every possible measure will be taken to ensure children’s safety, citing that damaged infrastructure and stagnant floodwater have made reopening unsafe in affected areas.

In Toba Tek Singh, particularly in Kamalia and Pir Mahal tehsils, 49 government schools will remain closed due to flooding.

These include 40 schools in Kamalia and 9 in Pir Mahal. The CEO Education confirmed that all private schools in flood-affected areas will also remain closed until conditions improve.

The situation is more severe in Muzaffargarh, where the deputy commissioner has ordered 105 schools to remain closed until September 6 due to flood damage and relief camp operations.

Of these, 89 schools are directly affected by floodwaters from the Chenab River, while 16 have been converted into relief shelters.

Despite these closures, the district administrations confirmed that all other schools in Punjab will reopen as scheduled on September 1 under government instructions.

Reporter: Tahir Jamil Khan