Schools to reopen today after six months

Grade 9 and above to resume physical classes in first phase

Educational institutions are set to reopen today (Tuesday) after a closure of over six months due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Students of Grade 9 and above will resume physical classes in the first phase of the reopening. In the second phase, classes will resume for the secondary grades from September 22, while primary students are to begin attending classes in the third and last phase by the month's end.

The federal and provincial governments finalised the decision to reopen schools on September 7.

The standard operating procedures (SOPs) devised for all educational institutes include distancing between seats and the use of face masks, hand sanitiser and disinfectants.

The authorities claim that all staff and faculty at schools has been trained to implement the SOPs.

Preventive closure

Sindh initially announced the closure of schools for two days - February 27 and 28 - after the country's first Covid-19 case was reported in Karachi on February 26.

This was soon followed by a notification informing of the provincial government's decision to extend the closure of educational institutes by 15 days.

Later, as infections surfaced across the country, educational institutes nationwide were shut from March 16 to May 31, and as the pandemic spread, the closure was extended by another three months.

In April, the Cambridge board cancelled O and A Level exams across the globe and decided to issue grades based on past performance.

The federal government in Pakistan also decided to suspend examinations for matric and intermediate students nationwide, and to promote students to next grade. Subsequently, a formula for grading for the suspended academic year was devised.

During the shutdown, some private universities commenced online classes. Public varsities and private schools followed soon after.

As it stands

The spread of the coronavirus appears to have been curtailed nationwide with the number of reported infections declining.

Sindh has reported 575 new coronavirus cases in the past three days, while the cumulative nationwide tally stands at 302,195 of which 289,983 patients have reportedly recovered. As many as 6,383 fatalities due to the virus have been recorded in Pakistan as of Monday.

Globally, children are stated to be less susceptible to the coronavirus and fatalities in children have been rare. However, health experts have warned of asymptomatic infections and the authorities have laid stress on the implementation of SOPs.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 15^th, 2020.