The Sindh School Education and Literacy Department has clarified that private schools across the province are not required to observe a compulsory six-day working week and may determine their own weekly schedules based on operational needs.
The clarification was issued on Friday by the Directorate of Inspection and Registration of Private Institutionsfollowing confusion over an earlier notification that introduced a six-day working week for educational institutions.
The notification issued on July 29 had stated that both public and private schools under the School Education and Literacy Department would operate from Monday to Saturday from August 1, 2026, until further orders.
However, in the latest circular, Additional Director Registration Rafia Javed clarified that privately managed schools are free to decide their weekly teaching and working days.
“It is hereby clarified for all privately managed schools across the province of Sindh that they may manage their weekly working days according to their own schedules and operative convenience,” the circular stated.
Meanwhile, the College Education Department has separately directed both public and private colleges under its administrative control to observe a six-day working week.
Earlier, on March 31, the Sindh government had declared Saturday and Sunday as weekly holidays for educational institutions as part of austerity and fuel conservation measures introduced in response to the economic impact of the US-Israeli war on Iran.
According to the Sindh Chief Minister’s spokesperson, the decision was originally intended only for students. However, many teachers also stopped working on Saturdays, affecting the completion of the academic syllabus.
To address the issue, the provincial government later restored the six-day working week for educational institutions. Under the latest clarification, however, private schools may continue to operate according to their own weekly schedules, while government schools remain subject to the official notification.
