SOPs will be devised to ensure social distancing and stop the spread of coronavirus after schools reopen
Schools, colleges and universities in Pakistan will open on September 15, provided that the coronavirus situation remains under control, the federal government announced.
Officials from all provincial departments were on board in the decision-making process. More meetings will be held to ensure that all the finer details are settled by Sept. 1.
Opening under SOPs
Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) will be devised in order to ensure that educational institutions do not become a source of the spread of the virus. The schools will be allowed to call its staff to work. The staff members will also be trained as per the SOPs to ensure health safety.
The educational institutions have also been allowed to carry out delayed tests such as the entry exams. They will be allowed to hold them in July. The tests will be carried out in open air and desks and chairs will be provided to the students.
Multiple shifts may be introduced
Private educational institutions in Sindh will be devising a plan according to the SOPs. They are likely to run three shifts to ensure that the social distancing requirements are met. Each shift will be three hours each. All Private Schools Association Sindh lamented that the schools will only get 35% of the fee, which makes it very difficult for the schools to meet their expenses.
Online classes
Many educational institutions continued their classes after an early break through the internet. This ensured that there weren’t any lengthy delays in semester’s completion. However, many criticized the move since there are issues with internet in many areas of the country, especially in the rural areas. Shafqat Mehmood, the federal minister for education, acknowledged the fact that online classes are indeed difficult for many students due to technological challenges.