Punjab schools open today as fake holiday notice exposed

All public and private schools, colleges and universities across Punjab will operate as usual on Monday, October 12, after education authorities dismissed a notification circulating on social media that falsely announced a province-wide holiday.

The Punjab School Education Department clarified that no decision had been made to close educational institutions across the province. Officials urged students, parents and teachers to ignore the misleading notification and rely on official announcements for accurate information.

The Punjab Higher Education Department also rejected a fake notice claiming that public and private colleges and universities would remain closed. It confirmed that higher education institutions across the province would continue their normal academic activities.

However, authorities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have announced closures in several districts amid heightened 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, schools and colleges have been ordered to remain closed for two days. Similarly, the Lower Dir district administration has announced the closure of all public and private schools, colleges and universities on October 12 and 13.

Meanwhile, the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education Bannu has postponed all Secondary School Certificate (SSC) Annual-II examination papers scheduled for Monday until further notice. The board said new examination 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.

The closures and examination postponements come amid security concerns in parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Students and parents have been advised to follow official notifications from the relevant education departments, examination boards and district administrations for further updates.