Chandigarh, May 14: Schools across five Punjab districts bordering Pakistan resumed classes on Wednesday, nearly a week after they were shut due to heightened military tensions between the two countries, officials confirmed.
The state government had ordered all educational institutions in the region to close starting May 8 as cross-border hostilities intensified.
While schools in interior districts reopened earlier this week, institutions in the six border districts—Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Pathankot, Fazilka, Ferozepur, and Gurdaspur—remained closed for a longer period due to security concerns.
Gurdaspur schools resumed operations on Tuesday, followed by the remaining five districts on Wednesday.
“We are reopening the school today as per the government guidelines,” said a teacher from Sri Guru Harkrishan Public School in Attari, Amritsar, adding that children were back in classrooms and teachers had been instructed to ensure safety protocols were in place.
The Amritsar district administration had earlier announced adjusted school hours from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. to ensure the safety of students during transit.
In Pathankot, schools reported a strong turnout on reopening day.
“Student attendance touched 80 percent. We request all parents to send their children without hesitation,” a local teacher said.
Punjab shares a 553-kilometer-long international border with Pakistan, a region that has historically remained tense during periods of cross-border hostilities.
However, normalcy appeared to be returning, with markets bustling and no new incidents reported from the affected districts.
India and Pakistan reached an agreement on May 10 to halt all military actions following four days of intensified drone and missile exchanges across the Line of Control and the international border.
Officials said the reopening of schools was a key indicator of stability returning to the region, even as both nations remain cautious following the recent escalation.
