Punjab has shut all schools until 31 March 2026. Your exams have not moved. Here is what every student and parent needs to know right now.

By Muneeb Farooq · March 2026 · 6 min read · Exam Updates

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This situation is moving fast. What started as a few universities shifting online has now become a full provincial shutdown. Here is a clear, up to date picture of what is happening and what it means for your child’s exams.

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What Has Happened So Far

The Middle East conflict between the US, Israel and Iran has triggered a global oil supply crisis. Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, halting oil supplies to many countries. Pakistan raised petrol and diesel prices by PKR55 per litre, a 20 percent increase, marking the first in a series of expected surges.

The knock-on effect on Pakistani education has been swift:

The University of Karachi announced that all morning sessions will be conducted online from Monday, March 9, until the end of Ramadan, citing transport difficulties caused by skyrocketing fuel costs.

The Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and Technology also decided to hold virtual classes to conserve fuel amid the escalating Middle East conflict.

And then on March 9, the situation escalated significantly. The Government of Punjab officially announced that all schools, colleges, and universities will remain closed from 10 March to 31 March 2026, taken due to the ongoing fuel crisis and economic pressure affecting the region.

In addition to the closure of educational institutions, the Punjab government also decided to reduce fuel allowances for government employees.

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The Most Important Thing to Understand

Even though educational institutions will stay closed temporarily, the government has made it clear that all exams will continue according to the existing schedule. Students should keep preparing for their exams because there will be no change in exam dates.

Read that again. Schools are closed. Exams are not postponed.

This is the critical point that every student and parent must absorb right now. A three-week gap in classroom time, if not managed properly, will show up directly in exam results in May and June.

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What This Means for IGCSE and A Level Students

If your child is sitting IGCSE or A Level exams this summer, the timeline looks like this:

• Schools closed: 10 March to 31 March 2026
• Exams begin: late April and May 2026
• That leaves roughly 3 to 4 weeks between schools reopening and exam season starting

Three weeks is not enough time to rebuild momentum lost during a poorly managed closure. The students who come out of this period ahead will be the ones who treated the closure as structured study time, not as an extended holiday.

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A Practical Plan for the Closure Period

Here is a simple structure that works for students studying from home during this period:

Week 1 (10 to 16 March): Audit your syllabus Go through every topic for each subject. Rate your confidence honestly out of 5. This gives you a clear picture of where to focus your time.

Week 2 (17 to 23 March): Targeted past paper practice Work through past paper questions topic by topic, starting with your weakest areas. Use the official mark scheme after every question. Do not skip this step.

Week 3 (24 to 31 March): Full paper simulations Sit at least one full past paper per subject under timed exam conditions. Mark it properly. Log your score. Identify the gaps.

By the time schools reopen, your child should be ahead of their peers, not behind them.

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What Parents Can Do Right Now

The biggest risk during a school closure is that students drift without structure. Here is what you can do as a parent to prevent that:

Set a daily start time. Treat each day like a school day. Your child should be at their desk by a fixed time every morning, whether that is 8am or 9am.

Check in on progress weekly, not daily. Hovering creates pressure. A weekly check-in where your child shows you what topics they covered and what past papers they attempted is enough to keep them accountable without adding anxiety.

Protect sleep. Late nights during a school closure are one of the fastest ways to derail revision. Consistent sleep directly affects memory, focus, and exam performance.

Consider structured support. If your child is significantly behind or lacks the self-discipline to study independently at home, this three-week window is actually an ideal time to bring in one-to-one tutoring. Targeted sessions during this period can close gaps quickly before the exam season begins.

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Final Thought

A war in the Gulf has closed schools in Punjab. That is a fact nobody planned for. But the exam board does not care about geopolitics. The paper will arrive on the same date regardless of what happens between now and then.

The students who come out of this stronger will be the ones who refused to use the disruption as an excuse. Three weeks at home, used correctly, can be more productive than three weeks in a classroom.

Use this time well.

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Is your child sitting IGCSE or A Level exams this summer and studying from home during the closure? Get in touch for a personalised revision plan. Book a free consultation here.

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Sources:

• HUM News
• The Express Tribune
• Pakistan Today