Ghani warns of schools closure in case of surge in COVID-19

Sindh Education Minister Saeed Ghani cautioned the schools on Tuesday that the government would close down schools in case of a surge in coronavirus cases in the province.

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While speaking to a press conference on Tuesday, a day after all educational institutes reopened across the country after nearly three months, he said that government would not hesitate to close down schools in case there an upsurge noticed in the spread of contagion.

"Parents who do not want to send their children to schools can abstain from it. Also, the administration can't guarantee SOPs' implementation; the parents should play their part in it as well," Ghani said.

Furthermore, the education minister said that only 50% attendance is allowed in the schools to curb the spread of virus, adding that government had also conducted COVID-19 testing within schools and colleges.

According to Ghani, the contagion positivity rate in colleges is 1.9%, while in schools it stands at 5.9%. The education minister stressed that four colleges had been shut after COVID-19 cases were reported in some educational institutes.

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He also highlighted that the provincial government had conducted 11,845 tests in schools' and from them, 546 came positive. "As the minister, I want the education department to improve."