Govt cuts school days in response to fuel crisis

The government has cut the number of school days to three a week as part of measures to cope with the fuel shortage and accompanying rise in the price of petrol.
The Prime Minister's Office on Thursday issued an urgent notice putting the Prime Minister’s order into effect.
The notice was issued following a request from the Ministry of Education and Sports to the Prime Minister’s Office to reduce school attendance, to ease the burden on pupils, parents, and teaching staff.
The PM’s notice requires the Ministry of Education and Sports to issue guidelines and directives to both public and private education institutions across the country.
Preschools and all other centres of education, both public and private, are instructed to reduce the number of school days from the usual five to three days a week
At the same time, schools must maintain the full teaching and learning curriculum by extending the academic year as needed.
Teacher training colleges, vocational training institutions, and higher education institutions (both public and private) must adjust their schedules to full-time formats while reducing in-person teaching days from the usual five days a week to three.
Institutions are advised to rotate teachers without assigned teaching hours into full-time roles.
As an intermediate measure, authorities will shift schools and educational institutions with adequate capacity to online learning if the situation worsens or persists.
Schools that lack the necessary infrastructure and technology will be allowed to temporarily suspend classes.
The government will assign the Ministry of Technology and Communications to assess internet coverage, as well as the availability of essential equipment, to support the rollout of online learning in schools and other educational institutions.

A notice issued by the Prime Minister's Office

By Times Reporters
(Latest Update March 20, 2026 )