Secondary classes resume across country except Sindh

[Sobia Anjum]

Pakistan Breaking News

Secondary schools in Punjab, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan reopened today (Wednesday) after nearly six months closure due to coronavirus pandemic. 

In Sindh, however, classes for graders six to eight will start from September 28.

The government urged concerned people to strictly follow the precautionary mesures to control the spread of coronavirus.

According to SOPs issued by the government, masks have been made mandatory for all teachers, staff members and students, while educational institutions are required to ensure the availability of sensitizers at their entrances. 

Minister for Federal Education and Professional Training Shafqat Mahmood had on Tuesday announced the decision to begin secondary classes. 

After strictly monitoring the COVID-19 situation for the next one week, the government would be able to make a decision about reopening of primary classes, he added. 

Federal Minister for Education Shafqat Mahmood on Saturday cautioned that any hasty decision to close schools will destroy education. 

The minister took to Twitter and wrote that "The health of students is the government's first priority. Any decision we make will be guided by the advice of Health Ministry. Having said that 6 months closure deeply affected the students." 

The minister added that "The decision to reopen educational institutions was taken with great care. Any hasty decision to close [them] will destroy education." 

On Friday, Sindh Education Minister Saeed Ghani announced that the academic sessions of Class 6 to 8 will not be resumed in schools across the province as negligence was found in many institutions in the implementation of SOPs against pandemic.

Ghani added that the provincial authorities will permit schools to resume secondary-level classes from September 28.

On September 7, Inter-Provincial Education Ministers Conference (IPEMC) on Monday decided to allow educational institutions to reopen universities, collages, and 9th and 10th grade from September 15.

The intra-provincial meeting of education ministers was held under the chair of Federal Education Minister Shafqat Mehmood in which the final decision was made.

During the meeting, it was decided that in first phase universities, colleges, classes of 9th and 10th will be allowed to reopen from September 15 under strict implementation of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) set by the govt.In second phase, sixth to eight grade students will be allowed to return to schools from September 23.

The authorities will monitor the coronavirus situation following the resumption of classes of 9th graders onward, after which classes six to eight will be allowed to resume. 

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