KARACHI: Sindh Education Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah today (Monday) announced that schools with 100 percent vaccinated staff will be allowed to open from August 30.
“Almost 80 percent of staff at private institutions had been vaccinated so far,” the provincial minister said while addressing a press conference in Karachi after meeting with representatives of private schools’ associations.
The minister also announced that children would only be allowed to go back to school if their parents are vaccinated. “The parents will have to submit their vaccination certificates from the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA),” he added.
“Education is a huge department, and employs a large number of people,” he said, adding that it was imperative to increase the rate of vaccination so that lockdowns did not have to be imposed.
He further said that schools would reopen with 50 percent attendance and for six days a week. “Random PCR testing will also be carried out at the schools,” he said, asserting that several households suffer when there is a positive case at a school.
Sardar Shah said that the private schools’ associations had also made the demand for vaccinated staff to be allowed to come in. “So we have allowed that teaching and non-teaching staff that is vaccinated can be called in from tomorrow to prepare for next week,” he added.
Referring to the extension in closure of schools by a week, the minister said that the decision was taken in light of the advice given by the health department. “The media incorrectly portrayed as if the chief minister took the decision without any consultations,” he added.
“If we would’ve opened schools on August 23, the vaccination rate would have slowed,” he said, adding that the thought process behind the decision was to increase vaccination among parents and staff so that schools can finally open.
Last week, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah had said that schools, colleges and universities would remain closed for another week to enable the teaching and non-teaching staff to get themselves vaccinated.
