Punjab orders school closure until June 30

Punjab's School Education Department has ordered all government, aided and private schools in the state to remain closed until June 30 because of heatwave conditions, according to a June 1 report by News18. The order extends the summer break across Punjab and pauses in-person classes for the month. The report said the closure applies statewide and was issued as temperatures remained high. ### Which schools are covered by the order? News18 reported on June 1 that the closure applies to government, aided and private schools across Punjab. The report said the summer vacation period will run from June 1 to June 30. Punjab's school closure order covers the full school system rather than a district-by-district shutdown, according to the same report. (news18.com) That makes the measure broader than local weather advisories or school-level schedule changes. ### What reason did officials give? (news18.com) The Punjab School Education Department cited heatwave concerns in ordering the closure, News18 reported. The report said the decision followed warnings about extreme heat and concerns over student safety. A similar Punjab heatwave closure was announced in 2025 by School Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains, who said all government, aided, recognized and private schools would remain closed from June 2 to June 30 that year. (news18.com) Hindustan Times, India Today, Newsonair and other outlets carried that announcement, indicating the state has used statewide school shutdowns before in response to high temperatures. ### Is this an extension or a new summer schedule? The June 1 News18 report described the move as an extension of summer vacation amid heatwave concerns. The report said Punjab had taken the step while some other states were preparing to reopen schools after the break. (hindustantimes.com) News18 also said authorities issued the order alongside other holiday details for the 2026 school calendar. A separate News18 Punjab report published last week said education department orders included other 2026 break dates, including an autumn break in November and a winter break in December. (news18.com) ### Is there an official government source available? Punjab's government maintains an eGazette portal for official notifications and orders. Search results show the state eGazette is the official publication platform, though the specific school-closure notification was not directly retrievable in this search. Because the government pages were blocked from direct access in this search, the June 1 News18 report is the clearest available published account of the order reviewed here. (punjab.news18.com) The report attributes the closure to the Punjab School Education Department. ### What happens next? (dsa.punjab.gov.in) June 30 is the end date named in the June 1 report. Unless Punjab issues a fresh order, that is the date through which schools are to remain closed under the current directive. Punjab's next formal update would typically appear through the School Education Department, the education minister or the state's official notification system. (news18.com) As of the material reviewed here, the published closure window runs through June 30.