Schools, universities to reopen with SOPs from September 15: Shafqat Mahmood

Educational institutions across the country are going to be reopened after an almost five-month hiatus on September 15 as long as the "health indicators improve", Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood announced on Thursday.

In a news conference , the minister said further discussions are going to be persisted the matter and authorities will review the choice in August in light of the coronavirus situation within the country. If the crisis isn't curbed, schools and universities won't be opened, he said.

The education minister said schools couldn't be opened in July as Eidul Azha are going to be celebrated by the top of the month and in August the country will observe Ashura.

Mahmood further said standard operating procedures (SOPs) are going to be put in situ before the opening of educational institutions which authorities were mulling over several options. the govt is watching several options including scheduling classes for various standards on alternate days, he said, adding that there have been also suggestions of holding classes in outdoors .

Since the govt has decided to permit schools and universities to reopen, educational institutions are going to be allowed to call in their staff before Sep 15 in order that administrative operations are often resumed, he said. Academic institutions will need to pack up premises also as train staff about the SOPs laid out by authorities, the minister added.

He warned that any school or academic institution that was found guilty of violating SOPs are going to be pack up by authorities.

The government has also decided to permit educational institutes, organisations and boards etc. to reschedule examinations — that had been delayed in March — in July before Eidul Azha, Mahmood said. SOPs will need to be followed and different proposals were being considered to make a decision the measures which will be put in situ .

Additionally, it's been proposed that, by the top of July or after Eidul Azha, universities allow PhD students to access laboratories so as to continue their research. Universities may choose the matter in accordance with the SOPs each institution has laid out.

He acknowledged that a lot of students had suffered from a scarcity of internet access thanks to which that they had omitted on online classes. to form up for the loss, the govt will permit universities to let students come to hostels after Eidul Azha, the minister said. Hostel percentage , however, shouldn't exceed 30 per cent, Mahmood said.

The SOPs are going to be designed by the federal ministry but provincial governments are going to be allowed to change them as per things in their respective provinces.

The education minister's news conference comes each day after a virtual conference was held between education ministers of all provinces, where it had been decided that educational institutions are going to be opened in across the country in September, provided there's permission from the Ministry of National Health Services and approval from the NCC, which had previously decided to stay schools closed until July 15.

After an in depth discussion, the participants had decided that institutions should stay closed until the primary week of September and reopened after the coronavirus situation has been reviewed under SOPs.

Furthermore, while discussing examinations of professional groups, like medical and engineering entry tests and non secular boards’ exams, the participants proposed that they be held with special arrangements like keeping six feet of distance between all individuals and requiring that folks wear masks and gloves.

Both proposals are going to be placed before the National Command and Operation Centre headed by Planning Minister Asad Umar, then before the National Coordination Committee.

The government had ordered the closure of faculties and other educational institutions in mid-March, after the primary cases of the novel coronavirus were detected within the country. All examinations had been suspended also .

In order to continue academic activities within the country and mitigate the loss of scholars , the federal ministry had launched a national broadcast education channel in April.

Teleschool — the dedicated channel — is aired through a beam provided by Pakistan Television (PTV) across the country from 8am to 6pm for online education from class one to 12.