ISLAMABAD: Educational institutions in Pakistan have reopened partially for Classes Nine to 12 and for O and A Levels from today after been shut down under extended winter vacations due to the second wave of coronavirus in the country.
Federal Minister for Education Shafqat Mehmood on late Sunday evening took has sent his best wishes to students of class 9 to 12, as well as O and A level students, who are starting school today.
“Classes 9 to 12, O and A level go back to school/ college. Wish them the very best. Their future is our main priority,” the minister wrote in a tweet ahead of the reopening of schools and colleges
The minister announced last week that classes one to eight will resume from Feb 1 instead of January 25 along with universities and institutes of higher education.
On Friday, the minister had held a high-level meeting at the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) to review the decision to reopen educational institutions amid the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic.
During the meeting, it was decided that classes will start for students of grades nine to 12 from January 18 as decided earlier. Unlike the previous year, the federal and provincial governments also decided that students will not be promoted without exams. A one-week extension was granted to start the classes for students of Grades 1-8.
The NCOC will re-evaluate data in a week and decide whether primary schools and higher education institutes will reopen on February 1 in cities where infection rates are high. The minister also decided in the meeting that if the infection rate is high in a particular city, educational institutes may not reopen there.
He said teachers and administrative staff can return to schools from January 11 after the winter vacations end. He also said board exams scheduled in March and April will now be held in May and June as students have not yet completed their courses and need time to prepare.
