Schools to remain open across Pakistan, except for Sindh: Shafqat

ISLAMABAD: The Inter-Provincial Education Ministers Conference (IPEMC) has decided to keep educational institutions across the country open, with the exception of Sindh, where they will remain closed till at least August 8, Federal Minister for Education Shafqat Mehmood said Wednesday.

Mehmood said Sindh Education Minister Saeed Ghani had informed the IPEMC the province would review the coronavirus situation before August 8 and decide the next course of action for reopening schools and conducting examinations.

The federal education minster’s press conference comes after he had chaired a meeting of the IPEMC to review the latest coronavirus situation, closure, and opening of schools. On the other hand, Punjab, Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Balochistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have decided to reopen schools in a staggered manner, with 50 percent attendance. The IPEMC decided to reopen universities and colleges with no restrictions imposed, however, the participants of the meeting expressed concerns over the coronavirus situation in higher education institutions, he said.