Overview
- Sindh Universities and Boards Department issued a formal notification directing all public and private universities to shift 100% of classes online from March 16 to 31, with examinations to continue as scheduled.
- Universities were instructed to cut fuel consumption by 50% and to ground 60% of official vehicles, mirroring two-month fuel reductions across provincial departments.
- The government moved to reduce fourth-quarter Non-ERE allocations for universities by 20%, according to the announcement.
- The university directive forms part of a wider provincial austerity package aligned with a federal savings plan, including ministers foregoing April–June pay, bans on new vehicle and furniture purchases, economy-class travel, grounding of the chief minister’s aircraft, and no hotel-based government events.
- Authorities linked the steps to supply risks from Middle East tensions affecting the Strait of Hormuz, while Karachi University and FUUAST had already shifted to virtual teaching before the province-wide order.