Sindh education dept suspends registration of 30 private schools

Owners of private schools summoned before relevant authorities

KARACHI: The Sindh education department on Monday suspended the registration of around 30 private schools after refusing to obey the provincial government's orders.

A day earlier, the Sindh government announced the closure of all educational institutions in Sindh until March 13 in the wake of coronavirus cases emerging in Karachi.

According to Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, the closure would enable the completion of the quarantine period for suspected coronavirus patients.

However, some private school in Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Gulshan-e-Hadeed, Korangi, Nazimabad and Lyari defied government orders and continued their educational activity.

"Today our different teams visiting various areas found out that around 50 schools were open. Twenty of them were instantly closed on our instruction while 30 refused. So, we have taken action for the violation of government orders," Registrar Sindh Private Schools Rafia Mallah told The Express Tribune.



She said after suspending the registration, the owners of the private schools had been summoned before relevant authorities and the provincial government will decide the fate of these schools.

"We can cancel the registration asking the concern deputy commissioners to seal them," Mallah said adding other private schools, which have a chain of branches, have complied with orders while others defied it.

"We have communicated to chairman board of education to take action against them," she added.

Earlier, the Sindh universities and boards department had also issued a notification to public and private sector universities across the province, instructing them to remain closed until March 13.

The on-going examinations at Jinnah Sindh Medical University and other institutions were postponed as well, with a new schedule to be announced later.