Staff Reporter
Islamabad
A decision on early and extended winter vacations, in view of the rapidly increasing number of Coronavirus cases in the country, has been deferred till November 23.
This was announced by the Ministry of Federal Education/Professional Training after Federal Minister for Education Shafqat Mahmood convened a special meeting to deliberate the plan of action of educational institutes with provincial education ministers.
According to the statement, provincial ministers apprised the forum about the latest coronavirus situation and the impact on the education sector in their regions, but no final decision was taken about vacations and closure of schools.
The Inter-Provincial Education Ministers’ Conference will meet again on November 23 at 11:00 am to review the situation. Apart from the education ministers, the meeting was also attended by officials of health ministries and the National Command and Operations Centre.
KP Minister for Elementary and Secondary Education Shahram Khan Tarakai also confirmed that the schools will remain open in a tweet.
Earlier in the day, Punjab Minister for School Education Dr Murad Raas had said that the decision on schools closure would be deferred till next week.
The NCOC recommended limiting all public gatherings to 500 people, including cultural, political, religious, entertainment, and civil gatherings. It also suggested allowing only outdoor dining till 10:00 pm, shutting down cinemas and theatres, and closing down shrines. The NCOC also suggested an early closing of markets and safe days.
The body suggested notifying early and extending winter vacations to federal and provincial education departments, keeping in view the rising positivity rate in educational institutions.
