Schools to open next week

Schools across the province will resume on-campus educational activities from August 23 (Monday), said Sindh Education Minister Sardar Ali Shah on Tuesday.

Addressing a press conference after a meeting of the steering committee, the minister said that a decision has been made to continue educational activities but schools may only open if 100 per cent of their teachers and staff are vaccinated. The reopening of schools is conditional to 50 per cent attendance and compliance with coronavirus-related standard operating procedures (SOPs).

Speaking with regards to the Single National Curriculum introduced by the federal government, the minister questioned why children shouldn't be taught about local heroes. When people want to learn about Sindh then why shouldn't it be taught, asked Shah. He said he was surprised that Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar and Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal had agreed to the SNC and given decisions about "their rights to others".

"If my people want to study about Rooplo Kolhi [freedom fighter], Makhdoom Bilawal [Sufi saint, philosopher and poet] and Dodo Soomro [of the Soomro dynasty, which once ruled in Sindh].

In response to a query, Shah said Prime Minister Imran Khan wants to implement a single national curriculum in the country because he has not read the Constitution of Pakistan.

The provincial government had closed schools across Sindh on July 25 given the rising number of coronavirus cases. However, the government had said exams would be held as scheduled. Intermediate examinations resumed in the province on August 10 and last week the education minister had said schools would remain closed till August 19.

Elaborating on the conditions for resuming on-campus educational activity, Shah said that parents, as well as teachers, would have to submit their vaccination certificates at schools. "Random and sudden PCR tests will be conducted as well," he warned, adding that all government employees had also received Covid-19 jabs amid fears of their salaries being stopped.

The education minister said that the effects of 9th and 10th Muharram on the coronavirus situation would be reviewed on August 20 (Friday).

A working committee comprising representatives of the health, education, and home departments besides other related institutions was formed last week to implement the decisions made regarding schools, said the minister. He added that the committee would look at other matters as well such as the syllabus.

Shah underscored that the pandemic had caused a lot of loss to academia. The number of enrolled students dropped from 4.5 million to 3.9 million, for instance, he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 18th, 2021.