With an improvement in the quality of air in the province, Punjab switched back to regular school timings and has as they will commence today according to a notification issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Punjab. As of now, schools will resume their regular opening time of 8:15 am.
In response to increasing smog levels, the start time for school was set at 8:45 am on November 18. Now that air quality has stabilized, it has been found appropriate by the EPA to revert to its previous schedule.
The notification has been issued across all public and private educational institutions in Punjab and has been enforced under the Environmental Protection Act 1997. Schools that would not comply with the notified timings may face severe legal actions, including fines, as warned by Imran Hamed Sheikh, Director General of Environment.
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The local commissioners and deputy commissioners were assigned to implement the directive. Officials stressed that this was meant to provide protective time for students and teachers from exposure to air pollution and still allowed them to maintain the continuity of education.