Sindh to resume secondary classes from Sep 28

Ghani says strict implementation of Covid-19 SOPs will be ensured

KARACHI: Sindh Education and Labour Minister Saeed Ghani on Tuesday said that schools scheduled to open during the second phase of reopening will commence classes – for grades six to eight – from September 28 as per the schedule announced earlier.

"All private and public schools are required by the provincial government to reopen as previously decided," said Ghani.

Also Read: 99.8% of students succeed in matric exams

"We made this decision a few days ago after the opening of the first phase in the province, keeping in view the ground realities," he said.

The minister maintained that all educational institutions must ensure strict implementation of standard operating procedures (SOPs) as children's health cannot be compromised upon at any cost.

The provincial education minister further stated that he is still visiting different schools in the province, including Larkana and Qambar Shahdadkot, to ensure SOPs are being followed.

Earlier, Ghani had warned that the government may have to order the closure of educational institutions again if a rise is observed in Covid-19 cases and pandemic-related SOPs are not followed.

Also Read: Education dept moved to take action over SOPs violation

The decision to reopen secondary schools had been put off for a week to ensure compliance with SOPs in high schools, colleges and universities, he said, speaking to media persons in Shahbaz Hall. The new date for resumption of the on-campus classes for grade-six to grade-eight students is September 28, he added.

On Friday, he had announced the decision to push the resumption of physical classes for grades six to eight by a week.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 22nd, 2020.