Colleges to reopen from today across Punjab except for two districts

The Punjab Higher Education Department (HED) has issued a notification for reopening of all private and government colleges across the province from May 31 (Monday) with strict implementation of Covid-19 SOPs.

HED Secretary Nadeem Mehboob said in a statement on Saturday that all private and public colleges will be re-opened across the province except in Khanewal and Rahim Yar Khan (RYK) as both districts have a high coronavirus positivity ratio.

The colleges in both districts will remain closed till further orders, according to the notification.

The authorities have also directed all teachers and other staff members to get the coronavirus vaccine by June 5.

Meanwhile, In Rawalpindi students staged protests against the government’s decision of holding board exams without physical classes.

Protesting students said owing to coronavirus restrictions the educational institutions were shut down across the country.

They demanded authorities to take online exams as they also attended lectures virtually.

Earlier, the Punjab Education Minister Murad Raas announced the reopening of schools from June 7. The provincial government had set a target to inoculate public and private teachers before the reopening of schools.

Murad Raas was talking to the media after the inauguration of a vaccine center only for teachers at Wahdat Road in Lahore.

Moreover, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government has also announced plans to reopen schools in five more districts of the province from May 31 (Monday) including Charsadda, Nowshera, Swabi, Bannu, and Haripur.

As many as 21 districts of K-P have already resumed educational activities after a drop in the Covid-19 cases ratio in these districts.

(With input from DNA)