Academic year to begin in August, says Shafqat Mehmood in tweet

The new academic year for schools will begin from August, Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training Shafqat Mehmood said Thursday.

In response to a person's question on Twitter, the education minister said: "Academic year for schools will start this year from August."

Responding further to the question, he said that private schools are free to use any textbook that is in conformity with the Single National Curriculum (SNC) and has a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the provincial government.

Replying to another user who wrote that the new academic year should start from August every year as students return with a blank mind after long summer holidays, he said: "I agree."

Moreover, a user claimed that the Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Board (PCTB) had refused to give NOCs and that they are not collecting requests leaving schools' management in a fix.

To which the education minister responded: "They cannot decide this unilaterally. We have given instructions that NOCs should be given expeditiously."

SNC to begin next academic year

Pakistan will see the start of the SNC in the next academic year, which is due to begin in August 2021, the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training had announced a day earlier.

According to the ministry, under the directives of Mehmood, the new year "would start now in August 2021 due to extension in examination dates to be held in May/June and also prolonged school closures in the academic year of 2020".

The SNC has been developed in consultation with area governments, said the ministry, adding that students of pre-1 to grade 5 will follow it.

It will come into effect across all public and private schools in the next academic year.

The ministry said that a letter was sent to all provincial and area governments regarding the Textbook Policy under the unified curriculum.