On Thursday, the Lahore High Court (LHC) sought an explanation from the government over changing the school’s winter vacations schedule from December 20 to January. A single bench of the LHC, comprised of Justice Shahid Karim, heard a case on smog in Lahore. “Smog has been hazardous for health, why the schools are not being closed on scheduled Dec 20,” the bench questioned. “The smog has been extremely dangerous in Lahore and other parts of central Punjab,” the court remarked. However, the court directed the government of Punjab to submit its explanation over the matter. It is pertinent to mention here that the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) had decided to shift winter vacations in the educational institutions to January 2022. The NCOC decided that winter vacations in schools and colleges will be given at the end of January 2022 after reviewing the recommendations from the provinces. The decision to move forward the winter vacations to January was taken with consensus, sources told. The NCOC said that the vaccination process will be continued in the educational institutions, whereas, extended winter holidays will be given in cold areas receiving snowfall.