Schools shut for extended winter break

ISLAMABAD:

Students of schools, madrassas and all other educational institutions went home for a long winter break on Wednesday.

The Ministry of Federal Education, Professional and Vocational Training Additional Secretary, Mohiuddin Wani issued the notification regarding the closure of schools until January 10.

According to the notification, the classes would be conducted online from November 26 to December 24. Onwards, there would be winter vacations in the educational institutions until January 11.

The professional training institutes will be allowed to open under strict Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). Besides this, professional examinations, engineering, and medical entrance tests will also be conducted with strict precautionary guidelines.

Permission from the local administration would be required for inviting teachers to the institutions, the notification said.

Representatives of the owners of private schools have opposed extended winter vacations under consideration of the government to control the second wave of the novel coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

National Association of Private Schools Pakistan (NAPSP) Joint Chairman Malik Mohammad Imran said that the pandemic situation could deteriorate as the people were going out for tourism and other social activities and not implementing SOPs.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 26^th, 2020.