RAWALPINDI: Some schools in Pakistan shifted to online learning this week as authorities introduced emergency fuel-saving measures after global oil prices surged due to the escalating conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran.

The government has ordered a series of austerity steps aimed at reducing fuel consumption, including temporary school closures, remote work arrangements for a portion of government and private sector employees, and sharp cuts in fuel allocations for official vehicles. The measures were introduced after international oil prices jumped amid fears the widening Middle East conflict could disrupt supplies passing through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global energy shipping route, raising costs for import-dependent economies such as Pakistan.

Parents in cities including Rawalpindi said many educational institutions had already informed families through social media that classes would be conducted online while campuses remained closed.

“Hopefully, all the schools will remain closed today because many of the institutions have already shared the message on social media that we will be taking classes online for the students,” said Misam Abbas, a 30-year-old father of schoolchildren.

Pakistan’s education system is still recovering from severe disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic, when schools across the country remained closed for extended periods and millions of students shifted to remote learning. 

The closures lasted around 10.5 months in some areas, affecting nearly 40 million school-age children, while limited Internet access and digital devices meant many students could not fully participate in online classes. Education experts say the prolonged shutdowns caused significant learning losses and pushed some children permanently out of the school system. 

Even after the pandemic, schooling in Pakistan has faced repeated interruptions due to environmental and health emergencies. In recent years, dense winter smog, extreme heatwaves and cold spells have frequently forced authorities to suspend classes, sometimes for 10 to 12 days at a time, shortening the academic year and disrupting teaching schedules. 

Analysts warn that repeated closures and the shift to online learning, often difficult for students without reliable Internet access, continue to strain an already fragile education system. 

For many families, the sudden switch to remote learning has also raised concerns about prolonged disruptions to education if the austerity measures remain in place.

“They [the government] should not close [schools] for a long time because it suffers a lot. The students… should think that they are to close the school for two to three days, not for all the weeks, not for two to three weeks because that can suffer the studies of these small kids,” Abbas said.

Pakistan imports most of its crude oil and refined petroleum products, making domestic energy costs highly sensitive to global price swings during geopolitical crises.

“Our situation should not be affected by the world’s situation. The world is already in a bad situation. But in our country, we should have some good system so that people cannot be affected by those circumstances,” Abbas said.