Educational institutes to reopen after COVID review on Jan 4

Federal Minister for Education Shafqat Mahmood on Saturday said that the educational institutions in the country would be reopened only after reviewing the Covid-19 situation.

Taking to Twitter, the minister announced that the Inter-provincial Education Ministers conference will take place on Jan 4, 2021, to review the situation of Covid-19.

“Inter-provincial Education Ministers conference will take place on Jan 4, 2021. Among other agenda points the most important would be an analysis of the health situation to determine re-opening of educational institutions,” tweeted the minister.

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Quoting his tweet on the reopening of the institutions, he stated ““As Education Minister I would very much like to reopen all educational institutions as I am concerned about the learning losses especially at the primary level. However the final decision will be made on health grounds. Students well-being comes first.”

However, the All Pakistan Private School Federation (APPSF) President Kashif Mirza has said that the government must reopen institutions and the schools can resume activities by strictly following the SOPs.

Mirza has said that more than 10,000 schools across Pakistan are closed permanently due to monetary losses caused by school closure. “I fear that the latest closure of schools will jeopardise the existence of 20,000 to 25,000 more low-cost schools,” he said.

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It is pertinent to note that the education minister had announced the school closure from November 26 to January 11, 2021 in the wake of second wave of pandemic. The schools would reopen after the reviewing the situation of Covid-19 in the country, minister had said.