The Sindh government on Thursday announced that the 2026 academic year in the province will begin on April 1 and will be observed under the theme “Teach for Trees” to promote environmental awareness among students.
The decision was taken during a meeting of the steering committee of the Education Department, held under the chairmanship of Sindh Education Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah at committee room no. 1, Sindh Assembly Old Building.
The meeting approved key decisions regarding the commencement of the new academic year, the academic calendar, examinations, holidays, school timings, and other important educational matters.
Minister for Universities and Boards, Ismail Rahu, attended the meeting as a special participant.
The steering committee decided that examinations up to grade 8 will be conducted in March as usual, including during the month of Ramadan. Examinations for Grades 9 and 10 will be held from March 31 to April 15, 2026, while examinations for Grades 11 and 12 will take place from April 15 to April 30, 2026.
The committee also approved that intermediate results will be announced on June 1.
It was further decided that summer vacations in the new academic year will be observed during June and July, while winter vacations will be held in the last ten days of December.
As chairman of the steering committee, the education minister directed that children should be encouraged to plant trees within schools or designated areas and take responsibility for their care, to make schools more child-friendly and environmentally sustainable.
Expressing satisfaction over the implementation of decisions taken in the previous academic year, the minister emphasised the need to further strengthen the effective implementation of the academic calendar.
He stated that 2025 was observed as the year of steam education in Sindh, which yielded positive results. He added that if approximately ten million students in Sindh planted one tree each, ten million new trees could be grown across the province.
In view of climate change, a sub-committee of the Steering Committee will be formed to consult all stakeholders and present recommendations regarding possible adjustments to the holiday schedule, which may be considered for the academic year 2027.
The meeting directed authorities to ensure the timely conduct of board examinations and avoid any delay in the announcement of results. All educational boards were instructed to implement the Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) system to enhance transparency and improve examination outcomes.
Minister for universities, Ismail Rahu, also directed board chairmen to increase the use of technology in examination processes to minimise human involvement and improve result efficiency.
In the meeting, it was also decided to include sports and other co-curricular activities in the annual academic calendar to promote students’ creativity and overall development.
