Educational institutions reopen today after 6 months

Islamabad:Schools, colleges, universities and seminaries will reopen from today (Tuesday) after a six months long closure due to the outbreak of novel coronavirus.

According to the education ministry, all higher education institutions in the country will reopen from September 15, while the students in grade nine to 12 will also return to school the same day. All educational institutions were closed in the country in March after coronavirus broke out.

On September 7, education minister Shafqat Mahmood had announced that schools, colleges, and universities, would reopen the education institutions in phases to avoid another wave of the virus. “If all goes well, then students in grade six to eight will return to school on September 23, while students in nursery to grade five will be back to school on September 30,” he said.

Over 30,000 religious seminaries across the country will also reopen in phases from Tuesday. According to the guidelines issued by the government, the use of masks will be mandatory for all teachers and students, while schools, colleges and universities will ensure the presence of hand sensitisers at entrance.

APP adds: The National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) on Monday urged the parents and teachers to comply with the standard operating procedures (SOPs) issued for the safety of students amid reopening of the educational institutions across the country.

In a statement, the NCOC called upon the administrations of educational institutions to ensure proper implementation of health guidelines such as mask-wearing, social distancing to keep the coronavirus at bay.“It asked the parents to abstain from sending children to school if they show signs of cough or illness.

“If the condition is worse, the child should be tested immediately. ‘’It should also be to ensure that children wash their hands regularly or use a hand sanitisser. The bus drivers who take children to school or college should ensure social distance in their vehicles.They should make sure that the children were wearing face masks while sitting in the bus or car.