Educational activities

It is a sign of the improving coronavirus situation in the country that the government has decided to reopen schools and colleges in the first week of September. The decision was taken in an online meeting on Wednesday presided over by Federal Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood and attended by the education ministers of all the four provinces, Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and the Chairman of the Higher Education Commission. A final decision, however, rests with the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), which is the implementation arm of the National Coordination Committee chaired by the PM.

Educational institutions were closed in the country in mid-March as part of efforts to control the spread of the deadly virus. The education ministers’ meeting agreed that classes would resume in schools and colleges from the first week of September under strict SOPs. Universities would reopen from Sept 25. The reopening of institutions will depend on the Covid-19 situation. The education ministers’ moot has decided to arrange another two meetings to review the situation before finally deciding to reopen educational institutions.

In the meeting, the federal health secretary stressed that wearing of face masks and maintaining social distance should be ensured inside classrooms and on the campus. It was decided to call a meeting of all administrators and teachers of educational institutions after July 20 for the preparation of SOPs. A national SOP will be prepared in consultation with all the provinces and regions. Madrassas will send their own SOPs, which will be approved by the NCOC. The All-Pakistan Private Schools Association has demanded relief in utility bills saying most private schools in Punjab are housed in rented buildings. Let us be optimistic about the revival of educational activities in the country.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 10^th, 2020.

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