Sindh educational institutions to remain closed; online classes to continue

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Sindh Education Minister Saeed Ghani on Sunday announced that all public and private educational institutions in the province will remain closed until further notice due to the current coronavirus situation in the province. 

According to a notification issued by the Sindh government in this regard, during the suspension of the teaching process in educational institutions, headmasters and teaching staff will be allowed to go to campuses in accordance with the 50% attendance rule, Saeed Ghani said.

"During this period, all classes will continue to take place online," the minister said, adding that in addition to the online classes, students should be given homework through alternative means too through the use of different software and online platform, including Microsoft Office, email, and messaging services like WhatsApp.

The educational minister stressed schools complete students' courses under the current syllabi.

Earlier in the day, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said that the coronavirus situation in the province has taken an alarming turn after Eid, so much so that hospitals have run out of beds in COVID-19 wards to accommodate more patients.

Addressing a press conference in Karachi, the chief minister said that Sindh recorded 8.37% coronavirus positive cases within a week, adding that the rate in Karachi was more than 13%, while it was more than 10% in Hyderabad.

The CM said that all schools and colleges would remain closed for two more weeks.

He also stressed that he will not speak about lifting the coronavirus restrictions at the moment, adding that all markets will close at 6pm instead of 8pm, while both indoor and outdoor dining will remain suspended throughout the province until further notification. He also said that takeaway and home delivery services, however, will remain functional.