ISLAMABAD: Federal Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood addressed on Friday a press conference on the reopening of schools after a high-level meeting at the National Command and Operations Centre to review the decision to reopen educational institutions amid a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic.
Here’s what was decided in the NCOC meeting:
- Classes will start for grade nine to 11 students from January 18
- Primary schools will reopen from February 1
The Federal Ministry of Education and Professional Training had said in a tweet earlier that Mehmood will hold a press briefing after the moot.
The NCOC meeting was attended by federal and provincial education ministers as well as health ministers. “While I desperately want education to continue, the final decision will be on health grounds. Students’ well being will always be a priority,” Mehmood wrote on Thursday.
Earlier this month, the federal government announced a phase-wise plan to reopen educational institutes from January 18 which were closed on November 26 to contain the spread of coronavirus. Meanwhile, the Punjab government has assured the parents that it will ensure strict compliance of COVID-19 SOPs in schools.
On January 4, Mehmood had said that the government will make no compromise on children’s health and another meeting will be held to review the latest coronavirus situation in the country.