A final decision on winter vacations at educational institutions will be taken at a meeting of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) scheduled for tomorrow (Wednesday), a meeting of inter-provincial education secretaries decided on Tuesday.

       Earlier today, officials held a meeting to discuss several issues, including shifting winter vacations to January 2022. It is relevant to note here that the Sindh government has already announced winter vacations in educational institutions from Dec 20 to Jan 3.

       A handout issued by the education ministry said that recommendations were taken from all the provinces regarding the date for winter vacations. "A final decision will be taken at tomorrow's NCOC meeting," the statement said.

       Later, Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood said on Twitter that federal and provincial secretaries met today. "The agreed proposal was that winter holidays should be from Dec 25 to Jan 4. Further notifications will be from the concerned governments," he said.

       Political map

       The meeting also also directed all provinces and textbook boards to publish the cabinet-approved political map of the country. "Before this, different maps were being published in different provinces," the statement said.

       Educational institutions have already been teaching using the new political map of the country, which was introduced by the federal government a couple of years ago, essentially asserting its longstanding position on the Kashmir and Sir Creek issues.

       Prime Minister Imran Khan, while introducing the map at a ceremony had pointed out that it reflected the national aspiration and supported principled stance on the Kashmir dispute.

       The new map was made public a day before Pakistan observed the first anniversary of the annexation of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

       The prime minister had pointed out that it would now be the official map after being approved by the federal cabinet and would be the one used in schools and colleges.

       The map clearly identifies occupied Kashmir as a disputed territory and states that the final status will be decided in line with relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions.