The decision regarding winter break for educational institutions in Sindh will be taken after consultation with the Sindh government and following a meeting of the federal and provincial education ministers on November 23, said Sindh Education Minister Saeed Ghani on Saturday.
He said this during a steering committee meeting of the education department, where the Centre's recommendations on the matter were discussed.
The number of Covid-19 patients is increasing across the country, but pandemic-related standard operating procedures (SOPs), too, are being strictly enforced at educational institutions, said Ghani, acknowledging that the pandemic had had a profound effect on children's education.
He told the committee that at a recent meeting of the education ministers, the suggestion to give students a winter break from December 24 was discussed without consensus.
However, the Centre has now suggested a winter break from December 25 to January 10 and proposed remote classes or on-campus classes once a week from November 25 to December 24, he told the meeting.
At this, the meeting's participants opined that just closing educational institutions wouldn't do much to control the virus' spread. In fact, they pointed out, the prolonged closure of schools had already resulted in significant educational losses for many students. They stressed that a steering committee meeting in September had agreed to allow no winter break this year and it would be better to stick to that decision.
Ghani replied that the suggestions made by the stakeholders would be presented before the Sindh cabinet, and the provincial education department would make clear its stance at the upcoming meeting. "Given the current situation, we will have to revisit our past decisions and keep in view the [probable] future scenario," he remarked, adding that the health department had also advised against risking children's health.
"The relevant authorities are making all-out efforts to ensure that SOPs are being implemented at educational institutions. Even then, when SOPs are being more properly followed at educational institutions than elsewhere, it is not an ideal situation," commented Ghani. "We give full liberty to schools to conduct online classes if they are willing and capable and no school can bind any parent to make their children attend on-campus classes if they are unwilling."
Published in The Express Tribune, November 22nd, 2020.
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