LAHORE - Public circles have urged the government to allow at least one month winter vacation in the educational institutions during intense cold as it always allows summer vacation in the hot summer. Pakistan is known for intense summer and winter weather. The two months of summer i.e. June-July and two months of winter i.e. December-January are usually intensive hot and cold respectively. The winter season has further become intense beyond the affordable limit of the inhabitants. The weather cycle has changed due to unusual phenomenon of El-Nino and La Nino. Statistics shows that the temperature in plains of Punjab particularly in the cities of Lahore, Sialkot, Okara, Mandi Bahauddin and Rawalpindi-Islamabad was lower than Murree in the first week of January this year. It was below freezing point last year and the year 2008. The dry and excessively cold weather also cause unprecedented fog in which the road transport also come to standstill during the school timings in the morning and after the sunset when evening classes in colleges and universities are progress. The government has already allowed ten days winter vacation from December 20 to 31st but that is not enough. The concerned circles and the parents say that the government could reduce the summer vacation to begin from June 8 and to conclude after August 15. The three weeks vacations in summer can be inducted into winter vacation to complete the three and a half month vacation in summer and winter in an academic calendar in the session. The private schools management follows the practice of summer vacation from Mid June to Mid August and they are doing it without any difficulty. The public circles say that acute winter is as dangerous for health of children as is acute summer and they fall prey to winter diseases mainly because of early attendance in educational institutions. The attendance is also thin particularly when the country is lashed by rain and windstorms. Moreover, the conditions and facilities in classroom in our schools and colleges are not suitable for acute summer and winter. The transport system is also faulty and the students have to wait for the public transport for hours at the bus stops in inclement weather. As such the demand is rising that due to climatic change the intense cold period of one month i.e. December 15 to Jan. 14 be declared as holidays as a protective and preventive measures to save our children from the climate hazards.