School closures

The government of Pakistan has decided to reopen schools for Class 1 to Class 8 from February 1. This decision seems quite awkward and surprising for both teachers and parents. First, the decision of resuming academic activities in schools should have been deferred because of the growing cases of Covid-19. A majority of people don’t follow SOPs even in schools. What is even more alarming is the fact that the school administration rarely asks students or teachers to follow precautionary measures in letter and spirit. As a result, education institutions slowly turn into Covid-19 hotspots.

It is also important to mention that the Covid-19 vaccine is not available in the country to control the spread of the contagious virus. The present situation suggests that schools shouldn’t be opened. The authorities should reopen all education institutions from March 1, 2021. As the government has already announced that the annual examinations will be held in May and June, teachers can easily cover the rest of the syllabus within one and a half months and students can also prepare for the exams. The authorities should reconsider its decision.

Guldar Khan Wazir

Loralai