Lead

The Sindh government has issued a series of contradictory notifications regarding the school and college work week in the province, first ordering a six-day week from August 1 and then reversing that decision to a five-day week. Private schools were subsequently allowed to determine their own schedules. The back-and-forth stems from earlier austerity measures adopted in response to the economic impact of the US-Israeli war on Iran.

Coverage comparison

Reporting by Dawn covers three distinct phases of the policy. On July 29, the Sindh Education and Literacy Department issued a notification directing that all public and private educational institutions under its administrative control observe a six-day working week, Monday to Saturday, from August 1 until further orders. The College Education Department issued a similar notification on July 30. The notifications superseded a March 31 order that had declared Saturday and Sunday off days as part of austerity and fuel conservation measures linked to the US-Israeli war on Iran.

Shortly afterward, the government reversed course. A notification from the School Education and Literacy Department on Wednesday announced a five-day working week, Monday to Friday, with immediate effect and until further orders. The College Education Department issued a matching notification. The reversal came less than a week after the six-day order.

Further clarification followed. A circular from the Directorate of Inspection and Registration of Private Institutions stated that the six-day directive would not apply to privately managed schools. Additional Director (Registration) Rafia Javed said in the circular that private schools could manage their weekly working days according to their own schedules and operative convenience.

Key Claims

  • The Sindh government announced a six-day work week for schools and colleges from August 1 until further notice. This was reported in two notifications from the Education and Literacy Department and the College Education Department, as cited by Dawn.
  • The government later reversed that decision and announced a five-day working week from Monday to Friday. Notifications from both departments, reported by Dawn, said the change took effect immediately and until further orders.
  • Private schools in Sindh were allowed to decide their own schedules. A circular from the Directorate of Inspection and Registration of Private Institutions clarified that the six-day directive did not apply to private schools, Dawn reported.
  • The previous decision on March 31 had declared Saturday and Sunday off days at educational institutions as part of austerity and fuel conservation measures due to the US-Israeli war on Iran. Both the initial six-day notification and the later reversal cited the March 31 order.
  • The US-Israeli war on Iran resulted in a global fuel crunch. The March 31 austerity measures were adopted to deal with the economic impact of the war, according to the notifications cited by Dawn.
  • Teachers stopped working on Saturdays, affecting education and curriculum completion. The Sindh chief minister’s spokesperson told Dawn that teachers had begun taking Saturdays off.
  • Work timings at colleges were specified in the six-day notification. The College Education Department notification, seen by Dawn, set morning and evening shift timings for each day of the six-day week.

Perspectives

Government of Sindh: The provincial government, through its education and college departments, initially justified the six-day week as necessary to address educational disruption caused by teachers taking Saturdays off. The subsequent reversal to a five-day week was announced without a stated reason, though it came shortly after the six-day order. The exemption for private schools was issued by the Directorate of Inspection and Registration of Private Institutions, citing operational convenience.

Private school administrators: The clarification allowing private schools to set their own schedules was issued in response to the earlier directive. The circular from Additional Director Rafia Javed explicitly stated that private institutions could manage their weekly working days according to their own schedules and convenience.

Teachers: According to the Sindh chief minister’s spokesperson, teachers had stopped working on Saturdays, which the spokesperson said affected education and curriculum completion. This was cited as a factor in the initial move to a six-day week.