The government recently announced that all educational institutions throughout the country will reopen from the 15th of September. Even though parents and students are being assured that strict SOPs will be enforced in all educational institutions, this decision has raised many eyebrows as it seems impossible for schools to implement the required pandemic protocols.
By now, we are well aware that except for a few institutions, majority of the schools and colleges across the country are not up to the mark when it comes to meeting the necessary SOPs and social distancing requirements. Most of these institutions are congested since classrooms are extremely small and accommodate countless students. Apart from that, majority of the students go to their respective institutions using public or private transport that are jam-packed with people travelling all across the cities. So, maintaining SOPs in transport vehicles is also impossible because the transporters are also not willing to limit the number of people in their vehicles since they will not be able to bare the monetary loss. Even countries like America and England, which are far ahead of us in all fields, are also hesitant in reopening educational institutions because of the fear of a resurgence of the deadly virus.
Although the number of coronavirus patients in Pakistan has significantly reduced, the virus has not been completely eliminated from the country. And reports indicate that many people are being re-infected. Until and unless all SOPs are strictly enforced and followed by students and teachers, the decision of opening educational institutions can backfire and we might have to come across a second wave of the deadly virus, mainly because of this. It is important that the authorities prevent this from happening at all costs.
Abdullah Hamza
Islamabad
Published in The Express Tribune, September 3rd, 2020.
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