PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has decided to keep all public and private educational institutions closed on Fridays and Saturdays for two months in view of the ongoing petroleum crisis in the province.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Education Department issued a notification in accordance with directives from the provincial cabinet.
According to the notification, all government and private educational institutions across the province will remain closed for two days a week, while educational activities will continue during the remaining five days.
The decision will remain in force for two months, the Education Department said.
Officials said the measure has been taken primarily to conserve fuel amid the petroleum shortage and reduce transportation-related difficulties faced by students, teachers and staff.
The department clarified that the decision will apply to all relevant public and private educational institutions across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The move comes as the province faces fuel supply challenges, with the government seeking measures to reduce fuel consumption and ease transportation pressures during the crisis.
KP Govt Signs MoU to Create Employment Opportunities for Students
Meanwhile, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Higher Education Department has taken another student-friendly initiative by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Pak-Austria Fachhochschule Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology in Haripur to create greater employment opportunities for students.
Under the agreement, university and degree college students will be provided access to employment opportunities at their respective educational institutions. Job fairs will also be organized for students, with companies and industries invited to offer employment opportunities.
The initiative also aimed at facilitating students to enter into the international job market and gain access to employment opportunities outside Pakistan.
Higher Education Minister Meena Khan Afridi was the chief guest at the MoU signing ceremony where the Higher Education Secretary and other high-ranking officials from the universities were present.
Addressing the ceremony, Meena Khan Afridi pointed out that there were 251,090 students studying in public and private universities and degree colleges of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The minister informed that the total number of job fairs organized by universities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa last year was five.
Meena Khan Afridi emphasized on overseas employment and remittances saying that Pakistan earned around $41.6 billion in the form of remittances from overseas Pakistanis last year.
Furthermore, he pointed out that the overseas Pakistanis residing in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa sent $187 million remittances to the country and thus it turned out to be the second highest contributor of remittances after Punjab.
It may be mentioned here that correspondence had been initiated with Pakistani Commercial Attachés abroad to identify the job opportunities for the students of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Meena Khan Afridi also announced that an internship programme for fresh graduates will be launched next month.
Under the programme, fresh graduates will be offered paid internships in government departments relevant to their respective fields of study. The initiative is intended to provide graduates with practical experience while improving their chances of securing employment.
