RAWALPINDI: After a three-month summer vacation, public and private schools reopened on Monday, while the District Education Authority did not allow unregistered schools to reopen in the district.

Students returned with enthusiasm, although attendance remained low in government-run schools. Many private institutions in Rawalpindi had already resumed regular classes from August 4.

Educational activities resumed across the district following the end of the summer break, although attendance remained low in public schools on the first day. A rush was witnessed on roads during school timings. Students who attended classes arrived early, accompanied by parents or school vans, and were seen reuniting with classmates and teachers as academic activities resumed.

Teachers said the opening day focused on interactive and motivational activities to help students settle back into the classroom. They added that reminders had been sent to parents and students via WhatsApp and email, urging them to ensure regular attendance from Monday onwards.

On the other hand, the District Education Authority did not allow unregistered private schools in the district to open. “There are more than 1,400 public-sector schools in the district, while more than 3,500 private schools are registered with the District Education Authority and as many as 1,500 unregistered schools are operating in the district,” said an authority official.

He said the government had made it compulsory to register all private schools in the province following an incident in Lahore in which a roof caved in, resulting in loss of human lives. Apart from this, he said work had been started to obtain building fitness certificates from private schools on the directives of the Punjab government.

He said building fitness certification was mandatory for private school owners for the safety of children. He said the Punjab government had introduced a new framework for assessing the structural safety of private school buildings, making fitness certification compulsory following the Kahna and Baghbanpura incidents.

According to the official directive, he said a valid building fitness certificate would now be a mandatory requirement for the registration of any private school. Existing institutions had also been directed to comply with all legal provisions related to the structural integrity and safety of their premises.

When contacted, District Education Authority Chief Executive Officer Yaseen Khan Baloch said all public and private schools had formally opened on Monday after the summer vacation, but the authority had sealed the unregistered schools. He said unregistered schools would create problems for people as the District Education Authority would not verify the educational certificates of their students in the future.

Regarding the building fitness of public-sector schools, he said there was no dangerous building in the district, but some rooms were being repaired and no classes were being held in those rooms.

“For private-sector schools, the provincial government has asked them to submit their building fitness certificates, and the process has been started and is likely to be completed within a month,” he said.

All Pakistan Private Schools Management Association President and member of the registration authority of the District Education Authority Ibrar Ahmed Khan said the registration of schools had been started as it was necessary to obtain educational certificates from the education authority.

He said private schools had also started submitting fitness certificates to the District Education Authority and the process would be completed soon. He said all school managements had obtained the required forms.

Published in Dawn, August 25th, 2026