Staff Reporter
Islamabad
Educational institutions across the country will reopen in three phases starting September 15, Federal Minister for Education Shafqat Mehmood announced on Monday, nearly six months after the coronavirus pandemic sent students home.
Addressing a press conference after a meeting of the inter-provincial education ministers’ conference, Mehmood said in the first phase, all higher educational institutions including universities, professional colleges, vocational institutes, as well as classes nine till 12 will resume on Sept 15.
A week later, on Sept 23, classes six, seven and eight will be allowed to return to schools following a review, while primary schools will be reopened on Sept 30 in the last phase, the minister announced.
“It means we will open all these institutions in 15 days if things remain okay,” he said, adding that the decision also applied to madressahs.
Mehmood said today was an “important” day because the government had been waiting for the Covid-19 situation to improve before reopening all educational institutions.
He said the National Command and Operation Centre carried out research and a “wide consultative process” was started involving expert panels, think tanks etc., in which the government looked at international and regional trends before reaching the decision.
“This is a huge decision,” the minister said, thanking parents and students for waiting and spending the past months with patience. “They were difficult times but everybody was patient.”
However, Mehmood cautioned that the government will be forced to “take action” whenever it is felt that the standard operating procedures are not being followed at an educational institution. He sought the cooperation of parents, teachers and administrations. “Everyone has to play their part and only then we can achieve success,” he added. The minister said some attached matters, including a change in the schedule for exams and course work, will be decided as things move forward.
Speaking alongside him, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Faisal Sultan said the government had decided Sept 15 as the tentative date for the reopening of educational institutions if an analysis of the current coronavirus situation allowed.
He said at present, the country’s situation regarding tests and the positivity of tests is “satisfactory”.
“We can say with confidence that we can open educational institutions in a phase-wise manner,” he added.
Dr Sultan said there had been a lot of debate in the world and in the country about the sequence of opening schools but after looking at all factors including the strength of students in schools and the condition of schools in Pakistan, it was collectively decided that higher education institutes will be opened first, following by classes 6-9 and then primary schools.
Detailing the precautionary measures that will need to be taken in the coming days, the SAPM said the density of students in a room or lab will need to be reduced to stop the spread of the virus. Using an example to explain, he said if normally 40 students sit in a class, schools will have to divide them either into two shifts or two days so only 20 children are gathered in one place at a time.