ISLAMABAD: The Inter-Provincial Education Ministers Conference (IPEMC), while terming situation of the Covid-19 under control, unanimously ruled out the closure of educational institutes across the country. The 21st meeting of IPEMC was held under the chairmanship of Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training Shafqat Mahmood, here on Thursday.
The provincial education ministers and respective secretaries, chairman Higher Education Commission (HEC), chairman IBCC, and representatives from the federal government educational institutes, Navy, and Air force participated in the meeting through video link.
Director General National Health Services Dr Safi Malik gave a detailed presentation to the forum on existing Covid situation in the country. All provinces share the data of positivity rate of Covid-19 cases in schools and colleges, which was ranging from one to two percent scarcely; hence, the forum expressed satisfied with controlled situation in educational institutes. Keeping in view the overall situation, the largest education forum of the country unanimously, ruled out the closure of educational institutes.
It was agreed that the targeted closure of institutes where the infection rate increases would be carried out with the help of local administration. The meeting's participants agreed that in the current situation, there was no need to close the educational institutes.
Educational institutes across the country will remain open, the ministers decided. As far as winter vacations are concerned, the forum opposed long winter vacations and recommended either no winter vacations or limited for few days, so that the students may cover their courses.
The regular academic year before the Covid-19 was of 32 weeks, which now has been condensed to 11 weeks only, so their is no rational of long vacations. Federal Minister Shafqat Mahmood sought the proposals from all the federating units in the next 15 days about uniform academic calendar across the country.
Mahmood, keeping in view the loss of students during six months closure of schools due to Covid-19, also sought proposals from all the federating units about moving academic year from April to August, at least for the current academic year.
The federal minister also advised all the provinces to ensure strict compliance of the SOPs in educational institutes. The federal minister will brief the NCOC, Friday about the decisions taken in Thursday's IPEMC. However, the meeting was unable to make a decision about the board examinations of eighth, ninth, and tenth classes.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020
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