Face masks a must for students, teachers

The provincial government on Thursday deemed it mandatory for teachers and students returning to educational institutions after a six-month hiatus next week to wear face masks.

This was directed by the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Minister for Elementary and Secondary Education Akbar Ayub Khan on Thursday.

Akbar said that as educational activities resume in schools, it will be mandatory for all students to wear face masks from the minute they leave home and until they return to it. He added that the teaching and non-teaching staff and administration of the schools will have to ensure the use of face masks, not only by students but by their colleagues as well.

The minister directed the officials of the education department to ensure sufficient quantities of water and soaps are supplied to all schools so that children can frequently wash their hands.

He requested parents that if their child is sick, not to send them to school. Moreover, if any child is found sick in school or showed signs of the novel coronavirus, they will be sent home immediately and given a chance to rest and recover completely. The minister said anti-coronavirus items could be procured from the Parent-Teacher Council fund.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 11^th, 2020.