Punjab revises school timings as smog crisis worsens | The Express Tribune

PUNJAB/
LAHORE:

The Punjab Education Department has revised school timings across the province due to worsening smog conditions. As per the notification, no educational institution will be allowed to open before 8:45am

According to an official notification, the timings for all public and private schools in Punjab have been changed in response to the increase in smog intensity.

It further stated that any school opening before 8:45am will be considered in violation of the directive and may face fines ranging from Rs100,000 to Rs1 million.

The Punjab government officially revised school timings, effective immediately from October 27, 2025, until April 15, 2026.

According to the new schedule, announced by Provincial Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat on Sunday, all schools will now open at 8:45am and close at 1:30pm. Teachers, students, and parents have been directed to follow the new timings.

As per the notification, single-shift schools will operate from 8:45am to 1:30pm, while on Fridays, classes will end at 12:30pm. In double-shift schools, the first shift will run from 8:45am to 1:30pm and the second shift from 1:00pm to 4:00pm. Teachers have been instructed to remain on duty from 8:30am to 2:00pm, and from 8:30am to 12:30pm on Fridays.

Punjab’s major cities remain engulfed in heavy smog and hazardous air pollution, as air quality levels have plummeted to dangerous levels across the province.

According to the International Environmental Monitoring Agency IQAir, the Air Quality Index (AQI) reached the maximum value of 500 in Dera Ghazi Khan and Kasur at 9am, placing both cities among the most polluted in the world. These readings surpassed even Lahore, which has long been considered the country’s pollution hotspot.

Read: Punjab skies turn toxic: Lahore, Kasur among most polluted cities

Vehicles sans green stickers banned

In one of the many efforts the Punjab government is undertaking to tackle smog, Punjab authorities have decided to immediately ban vehicles operating without green stickers or valid fitness certificates.

The smog alert season will begin on November 1 and continue until January 31, 2026, or until the smog — described as a “black haze” — subsides.

The Punjab Environmental Protection Department has approved a province-wide anti-smog campaign starting November 15 against all smoke-emitting vehicles, particularly heavy public and goods transport operating from Rawalpindi and Islamabad to other districts.

Marble factories sealed

In a major enforcement operation against industrial air pollution, the Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) in coordination with the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Administration, sealed several non-compliant marble factories operating near Sector B-17, Islamabad, for persistent violations of the Pakistan Environmental Protection Act, 1997, according to a press release issued on Thursday.

Read more: Vehicles sans green stickers banned in Punjab

“The action was part of Pak-EPA’s ongoing campaign to curb smog and control dust emissions from marble and granite processing units, which were identified as significant contributors to deteriorating air quality in and around the federal capital,” said Muhammad Saleem Shaikh, media spokesperson for the Ministry of Climate Change & Environmental Coordination.

The operation was led by Khalid Mehmood Chadhar, Director (EIA/Monitoring), and Muhammad Ramazan, Deputy Director (Legal/Enforcement) of Pak-EPA Islamabad, under the supervision of the Director General of Pak-EPA Islamabad, Nazia Zeb Ali. The inspection, conducted in the presence of a magistrate, found that several marble processing units had failed to comply with repeated notices and warnings issued by the competent authority.

The Director General, Nazia Zeb Ali, said that excessive dust and fine particulate matter generated during marble cutting and polishing are among the leading causes of ambient air pollution, which has been worsening during the current smog season, affecting both public health and visibility.

Consequently, the non-compliant units were sealed, and Environmental Protection Orders (EPOs) were issued under the relevant provisions of the law for persistent violations of environmental standards, she added.