Chairman Private Schools Association opposes the idea of school closure

Islamabad: Malik Mohammad Imran, Co-Chairman of National Association of Private Schools Pakistan, has said that educational institutions have collapsed while the academic year of children has been wasted. He said that private educational institutions are the only place where SOPs are fully implemented, and children are safer.

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In a statement issued yesterday, Malik Mohammad Imran said that strictly adhering to the government's SOPs to prevent the spread of the corona epidemic would not help control the virus but could intensify the spread of the virus. Instead of staying at home, people go out for sightseeing and other social activities, and if not implemented there, the corona epidemic could escalate.

Malik Mohammad Imran said that irreparable educational and financial loss has already taken place even before educational institutions' long closure. Private educational institutions are fully implementing the SOPs announced by the government. It is also impossible to implement the online system because there is no electricity or internet facility in the country's backward and remote areas. Thousands of educational institutions are already closed due to prolonged closure and are facing financial problems. If the government wants to close schools, it should also provide a relief package for private educational institutions. Employees of educational institutions are teachers and other staff and millions of people who provide pick and drop service, canteens, uniforms, stationery, bookshops, printing, etc.

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At present, there are only educational institutions in the country where SOPs are fully implemented. The policy of smart lockdown should be continued. If the educational institutes are getting closed, it should happen with the markets, factories, transport, railways, airports, banks, and all other government and non-government offices as only educational institutions closing is not the solution to the problem. The government should not take any decision regarding educational institutions without consulting the concerned stakeholders.