Shafqat Mehmood: Schools Will Not Stay Closed Until October
In Pakistan it was previously announced that schools will reopen from the 15th of September if the COVID 19 situation improves. With the opening of businesses, restaurants, malls etc, the education sector was in the hot-seat as people awaited clarification.
With rumours spreading like wildfire on social media about the pending decision of schools, it was speculated that they shall remain closed till October, due to the pandemic situation. However, the Minister for Education, Shafqat Mehmood, has denied these claims, taking to twitter to clarify the state of things, with a final decision to be evaluated on the 7th of September.
The Minister has further stated that this year there shall be no weekly Saturdays off which have typically been the norm in the past, and there will be no winter holidays as well. Initially, the higher educational institutes shall be opened, and with observation of the conditions pertaining to COVID-19, a decision will be taken for the primary levels, as the education of children has been greatly affected according to Mehmood.
“We will review the educational loss of students during the last six months in consultation with the provinces. The students’ learning level will be checked and the schools will be advised in that regard,"
From next year the hope on the horizon remains that schools shall begin functioning normally, but until then it is the responsibility that teachers and students implement strict Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) during this tentative time. Although COVID-19 seems to be declining in Pakistan, it has not entirely disappeared.