ISLAMABAD: The Inter-Provincial Education Ministers Conference (IPEMC) reached a consensus to reopen educational institutes with strict Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) across the country in the first week of September.
The Ministry of Education will forward its recommendations to the National Coordination Committee (NCC) to take a final decision with regard to the resumption of academic activities in the country.
Sources revealed that the consensus was reached in a meeting presided over by the Federal Education Minister, Shafqat Mehmood, along with the provincial education ministers through a video link.
Sources said the meeting decided to reopen schools with all the Covid-19-related SOPs in place. "Schools will be reopened after taking a look at the coronavirus situation in the country. It was also decided that examinations will be conducted with SOPs, while Covid-19 situation in the country will be reviewed before the opening of the educational institutions."
All the provincial education ministers agreed to the proposal, sources said, adding that before opening an educational institute the situation of Covid-19 would be reviewed and two meetings of the IPEMC would be convened during that period.
The federal minister is likely to address a press conference on Thursday (today) and inform about the outcome of the meeting and decisions with respect to reopening of educational institutes.
Last month, Mehmood had said the government was considering reopening schools with implementation of the SOPs, and suggestions had been sought from the seminaries (Madaris) and private institutes of all the provinces, including those from the Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan.
The All Pakistan Private Schools and Colleges Association has categorically rejected the government's decision to keep educational institutes closed further till September, saying it was "illogical".
They said that the educational institutes must be reopened immediately under strict SOPs instead of waiting for months.
They should be reopened immediately to prevent children from wasting their school year, the association said, adding that the closure of educational institutes due to coronavirus had closed small educational institutes, while thousands of people working in them, including teachers had lost their jobs. The closure will also shut down other institutes as well.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020
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