A meeting of inter-provincial education ministers on Thursday decided that winter vacations will not be given in school in Sindh and Punjab. Students wear masks as they go to school amid heavy smog conditions in Lahore on November 14, 2019. (Photo by Arif ALI / AFP) A meeting of inter-provincial education ministers was held under the chairmanship of Federal Minister Shafqat Mahmood in which the education ministers of four provinces, Azad Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, and other officials participated through video link. There are reports that at the meeting all the provinces have agreed not to have minimum winter holidays or vacations. The decision on whether or not to have a minimum winter vacation will depend on the geography of the provinces. Earlier this week, the Higher Education Commission confirmed that Pakistani universities are not being closed again. The HEC said that only the health authorities can direct the closure of universities if they feel that the corona cases have risen above critical threshold. Pakistan reopened its schools in September after a closure of over six months. Private school owners had complained that they were unable to take the financial hit and many people argued that children were losing out as not everyone had access to online classes. The meeting could not reach a final decision on the academic year from April to August. There are reports that no decision could be taken on the board examinations of 8th, 9th, and 10th.