Decision on schools to be taken on March 24
Students across the country are not happy with online classes, Federal Education Minister Shafqat said on Monday.
Speaking at a press conference at the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry, he said that there’s a huge difference between taking classes online and in person. “Closing schools will be a difficult decision to take.”
The government wants to keep the educational institutions open but the final decision will be taken after a discussion with all provincial ministers on March 24, the minister said.
Talking about a uniform syllabus across the country, he said that the government is working on it. “There were some reservations by Sindh but we are working on them.”
On Sunday, Mahmood said that the third wave of the novel coronavirus is serious and requires careful review. “All education and health ministers will meet Wednesday, March 24 at the NCOC to take a decision regarding opening or further closure of educational institutions.”
The health of students and teachers is the government’s top priority, he added.
Pakistan schools and coronavirus
All educational institutions across the country were closed in late February 2020 after coronavirus cases began to rise. They were reopened in phases starting September 15, 2020.
On November 23, 2020, after the second wave of coronavirus cases hit the country, the government announced that all educational institutions would close again from November 26, 2020.
Classes were taken online till December 24, 2020, and winter vacations started from December 25, 2020, and were supposed to last till January 10. The government said it would hold a meeting to review the decision to reopen schools on January 4.
The NCOC then decided that schools would reopen in phases with classes nine to 12 being the first to reopen on January 18.
On March 10, the government closed schools in Punjab, Islamabad and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for two weeks in light of the third wave of the coronavirus.
