ISLAMABAD: The government on Monday allowed phase-wise reopening of educational institutes across the country from September 15 after around six months of closure due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Addressing a press conference after a meeting of the Inter-Provincial Education Ministers' Conference (IPEMC), Federal Minister for Education Shafqat Mehmood, flanked by Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Faisal Sultan, said in the first phase, all higher educational institutes, including universities and professional colleges as well as classes nine till 12, will resume functioning from September 15.
"All universities, Higher Education Commission's (HEC) institutes and colleges will be reopened from September 15," said Mahmood, adding that the government had allowed for classes of grades IX, X and above to be conducted from September 15 as well.
A week later, on September 23, students of classes VI, VII and VIII will be allowed to return to their schools following a review, while primary schools will be reopened on September 30 in the last phase, the minister announced.
Stressing on the importance of monitoring children's health, Mehmood said that students of grade VI, VII and VIII would be able to attend classes from September 23.
He said that if the situation remained satisfactory, primary schools would be allowed to reopen from September 30.
"It means we will open all these institutions in 15 days if things remain okay," he added.
In the next phase, decisions relating to holding examinations will be taken, said the minister, adding that vocational and skill-based institutes would also be allowed to reopen from September 15.
He said that these included classes that focus on students of grade-X and above.
The decision on the reopening of schools is applicable to Madressahs, public, private and vocational institutes as well, said the minister, adding that educational institutes' management that failed to comply with Covid-19 SOPs would face consequences.
Mehmood termed it an important day because the government had been waiting for the Covid-19 situation to improve before reopening all educational institutes.
He said the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) carried out research and a wide consultative process was started involving expert panels, think tanks etc, in which the government looked at international and regional trends before reaching the decision.
This is a huge decision, the minister said, thanking parents and students for waiting and spending the past months with patience.
"Those were difficult times, but everybody was patient."
Dr Sultan, addressing on this occasion, said the government had decided September 15 as the tentative date for the reopening of educational institutes if an analysis of the current coronavirus situation allowed.
He said at present, the country's situation regarding tests and the positivity of tests was satisfactory.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020
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