Students from class 9 to 12 return to schools

• Schools open with strict compliance of coronavirus standard operating procedures. 
• Students of class 8 and below to return to school from Feb 1
• Educational institutes were reopened after a high-level committee agreed on a phase-wise reopening

KARACHI: After a two-month break, students from classes 9 to 12 retuned to school as the educational institutes started reopening in phases.

The schools have opened with strict compliance of coronavirus standard operating procedures with calls from the government officials to follow the guidelines issued by the health authorities. 

The students of classes 8 and below will resume in-person learning from February 1.

Last week, the federal government approved a plan last week to resume on-campus learning to avoid further loss of education.

Shafqat Mehmood wishes luck to students

Federal Minister for Education Shafqat Mehmood took to Twitter late Sunday evening and sent his best wishes to students.

"Tomorrow classes 9 to 12, O and A level go back to school/ college. Wish them the very best," the minister wrote.

"Their future is our main priority."

On Friday, January 16, the minister had held a high-level meeting at the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) to review the decision to reopen educational institutions amid the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

During the meeting, it was decided that classes will start for students of classes 9 to 12 from January 18 as decided earlier.

Unlike the previous year, the federal and provincial governments also decided that students will not be promoted without exams.

A one-week extension was granted to start the classes for students of grades 1-8. They were earlier supposed to start by January 25.

It was decided that primary schools will reopen from February 1, while higher education institutes will also reopen from February 1 as decided earlier.

The NCOC will re-evaluate data in a week and decide whether primary schools and higher education institutes will reopen on February 1 in cities where infections rates are high.

The minister also decided in the meeting that if the infection rate is high in a particular city, educational institutes may not reopen there.