LAHORE: The School Education Department (SED) of the Punjab government on Tuesday announced change in the school timings in the wake of dense smog. On the other hand, Aitchison College also announced vacations for its prep and junior section due dangerous smog, saying it was hazardous to human health. According to a notification, the college will remain closed till Monday while the junior and prep sections had finished all major assessments. The SED issued a notification stating that all the public and private sector educational institutions in Punjab shall observe school timings from 9am to 2:30pm from Monday to Thursday and on Saturdays. On Friday, the school timings will be from 9am to 12:15pm, it added. School Education Department Secretary Dr Allah Bakhsh Malik issued the formal notification in this regard. According to the notification, these timings would be observed with immediate effect till further orders. The step has been taken in view of the situation resulting due to intense smog across the province, concluded the notification. It is pertinent to mention here that Daily Times published a news story about teachers and parents demanding the Punjab government to change the school timings, as it would benefit the students, teachers and even the parents. However, the private schools association condemned the demand and announced that they would not accept any such direction from the SED or the Punjab government. When contacted, All Pakistan Private Schools Federation President Kashif Mirza said that it was practically not possible to observe the new timings. He went on to say that the SED would definitely have to take back their decision. “Such a decision of change in timings has already been experimented by the SED before, which created massive problems in city,” he said, adding that during school hours the traffic burden was not as much as it was going to be now because 9am was also office timings. “We opposed this notification, but the association will announce its final decision after consultation with its members in a meeting which is scheduled for Wednesday (today).” Published in Daily Times, November 8th 2017.