ISLAMABAD: All Pakistan Private Schools' Federation (APPSF) has lauded the government's decision of phased reopening educational institutes but announced that they would reopen educational institutes across the country from Jan 11.

The announcement was made after the government announced reopening of schools from January 18th.

The second wave of Covid-19 did not hit Pakistan, it was rather brought to the country, APPSF president Kashif Mirza and SVP Malik Abrar said at a press conference in Islamabad.

Mirza said the opposition held massive rallies, and it was responsible for the spread of Covid-19. "Not a single country was locked down and only smart lockdowns were imposed in the entire world," he said.

The academic year of students is being wasted because of the uniform curriculum initiative, according to the APPSF president.

They [the government] do not have books which is why such steps are being taken, he said. Nearly 70 million teachers lost their jobs due to the lockdown, Mirza lamented.

"We will reopen schools across the country on January 11, which will be followed by reopening of colleges and universities."

He described online classes as a 'farce,' and warned of a long march on Islamabad in case of any opposition or arrests.

APPSF representative Pervez Haroon said they would not let the authorities waste the academic year in the name of a uniform curriculum.

The session would start in April and exams will be held in March, he said.

The National Association of Private Schools (NAPS) welcomed the federal government's decision to open educational institutes in phases, central president Obaidullah Chaudhry, chairman Malik Imran and vice president Zahid Bashir Dar said in a statement.

Welcoming the decision to continue educational activities from January 18 to January 12, he said that the damage done to the education sector could be remedied only if the educational institutions were reopened immediately.

The logic of decision to open the institute in phases after such a long delay is beyond comprehension.

However, the government's decisions are still accepted as before. We will open educational institutions with full SOPs, statement said.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021

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