Sindh opposes regular five-day classes

KARACHI: The Sindh government on Sunday opposed the decision of the federal government allowing schools to resume 5-day regular classes from March 1, saying the announcement has "created confusion among the students."

Speaking to the media, Sindh Education Minister Saeed Ghani said that as per the decision of the provincial government, schools will only allow 50% attendance, adding that regular classes cannot be resumed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Emphasising the importance of following the coronavirus standard operating procedures (SOPs), the minister added that children going to school will be required to maintain social distancing in the classroom.

"How will children maintain social distancing if we allow 100pc attendance?" Ghani questioned, "Once the pandemic ends, all children will be allowed to go to school." He said that even though the federal education minister has allowed 100pc attendance across schools, the Sindh Education Department has its own steering committee responsible for taking provincial decisions. "The decision to reopen schools was also taken by the committee," he said,