Sindh’s academic year 2020-21 to start on April 15

The Secondary School Certificate (matriculation) annual examinations in Sindh will start on March 16 and the new academic year will commence on April 15. The summer vacations during the current academic year will be from May 15 to July 14. The educational institutes will also open for six days a week during the next academic year.

This was announced by Sindh Education Minister Saeed Ghani on Saturday as he spoke to media persons after chairing the annual steering committee.

The education minister said the Higher Secondary School Certificate (intermediate) annual examinations would be held as decided in the earlier meetings of the steering committee. About the current closure of the educational institutes in Sindh, he said all the educational institutes will open on March 16. However, due to the changes in the new academic year timetable, academic activities at the schools and colleges will be resumed on April 16.

Putting an end to two off-days in a week, the committee also decided to keep the schools, colleges and varsities closed only on Sundays. The office timings of the education department will be from 8am to 3pm.

The steering committee meeting was attended by Adviser to Sindh Chief Minister on Universities, and Boards Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, the school education secretary, college education secretary, universities and boards secretary, chairmen of educational boards, and representatives of private school associations.

The stakeholders agreed that the coming academic year 2020-21 would start on April 15 and end in March next year. However, the academic year 2021-22 would start on April 1.

The participants decided that since Eidul Fitr would fall this year in the last week of May, the summer vacations would start from May 15 and end on July 14 this year. However, in the next year, summer vacations would be from June 1 till July 31.

Replying to a question, Ghani said the entry of unauthorised persons at examination centres would not be allowed while magistrates, officials of the education department and other officials would be issued special permission cards by the relevant boards so that they could enter the examination centres after showing them.

It was also decided that no media person or journalist would be allowed to cover examination centres.

The education minister said the provincial government was committed to finish the copy culture during the examinations, for which the education department on recommendations of the boards’ chairmen had taken concrete measures to ensure transparency in exam procedures.

Later, Ghani clarified on Twitter that although schools would reopen on March 16, they could open their offices before in order to distribute admit cards to the students of ninth and tenth classes. “Schools will reopen on 16th March but schools can open their offices to distribute Admit Cards to students of class 9 & 10. Few media channels spreading news with different angle," the tweet read.