Schools in cold regions get 5-day holiday amid heat: MoE

KABUL (Pajhwok): The Ministry of Education (MoE) has announced that all schools in the cold regions of the country will observe a holiday from July 1 to 5 due to extreme heat.

The ministry said that midterm exams in these regions will begin on July 6.

This announcement follows an earlier warning from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), which forecasted a heatwave across Afghanistan between June 30 and July 2, with temperatures expected to raise 2 to 10 degrees Celsius above average.

In the southern, eastern, and northern regions, temperatures may exceed 45 degrees Celsius.

In a statement today (Sunday), the MoE said: “Due to the high temperatures in recent days, from July 1 to July 5, all students of madrasas, Darul Ulooms, Darul Hifaz, religious institutions, and general schools in the colder provinces will be granted a five-day holiday.”

The ministry added that midterm exams for grades 1 to 14 will begin on July 6 in all Islamic and general educational institutions—both public and private—in the colder provinces, and will continue until the end of July.

According to the MoE, summer holidays for all Darul Ulooms, Darul Hifaz, religious seminaries, and general schools will be observed from July 22 to August 1.

All school administrators, teachers and students are required to return to classes on August 2 without delay or absence following the summer break, the statement concluded.

kk/sa