Sindh to reopen schools from August 23: education minister

Schools in Sindh will reopen on August 23 (Monday), subject to strict compliance measures, announced the provincial government on Tuesday.

The decision was announced after the Sindh Education Department's steering committee meeting that convened to discuss the situation.

Sindh Education Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah said schools will open with 50% attendance, subject to strict compliance measures, in light of the ongoing Covid-19 situation in the province.

Additionally, only those institutions that assure 100$% vaccination of their teaching staff by Monday would be permitted to open.

"The decision has been taken to open schools from Monday to continue the education journey of children," said Shah. "Parents will also have to submit their vaccination certificates at schools," Shah said, adding "Sudden [and] random PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests will be conducted as well".

Schools to remain closed till 19th: Sindh eases Covid restrictions

Representatives of the parents' association were also present in the steering committee meeting for the first time.

The decision has been taken to open schools from Monday to continue the education journey of children: Sindh Education Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah

Participants held the view that educational institutions that have maintained 100 percent vaccination rates (across all staff and students) should be allowed to reopen at full capacity, with strict adherence to Covid-19 protocols and SOPs.

Sindh reimposes restrictions as Covid-19 cases surge

In response to a question, Shah stated that the Sindh government will try to ensure that there are no major differences between the decisions taken by the provincial and federal governments.

The Sindh government will also monitor and check whether school staff members and teachers get themselves vaccinated or not, the minister added.

On July 14, Sindh decided to close all educational institutions, amusement parks, Seaview and Keenjhar lake from July 16. The government also decided to shut down cinemas, indoor gyms and indoor sports.

With the spread of the coronavirus Delta variant, the situation in Karachi, Pakistan's largest city, became alarming as public and some private sector hospitals reached capacity.

While it decided to resume the examination process of Intermediate students across the province from August 10, academic sessions in educational institutes were postponed till August 19 after Ashura.