Classes 9-12 to reopen from Jan 18 as planned, says Shafqat Mahmood.

Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood on Friday announced a revised schedule of the reopening of schools, according to which classes from 9 to 12 will begin from January 18 as planned previously, while classes 1-8 will start from February 1 instead of January 25.

Universities will reopen from February 1 as had been decided in the previous meeting, he said.

Mahmood was addressing a press conference after the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) meeting which was also attended by federal and provincial health and education ministers. They discussed the ongoing wave of Covid-19, which is being considered as more lethal than the first one and had forced the closure of educational institutions in order to protect students and teachers.

Reopening schedule

Classes 1-8: Feb 1

Classes 9-12: Jan 25

Universities: Feb 1

During the press conference, Mahmood said that this year, high school students would not be promoted without examinations and therefore, it had been decided that their classes should resume as per schedule. Higher education institutions will reopen from February 1 along with primary and secondary schools.

The federal minister said that next week, the NCOC will review infection rates in different cities and districts before the reopening of higher education institutions and primary and middle schools. Authorities will discuss if education institutions in cities and districts where infection rate is high should remain closed, he added. Mahmood clarified, however, that a decision to delay reopening in areas with high infection rates had not yet been taken.

Authorities may also decide, where possible, to have children - who live in areas where lockdowns are imposed - come to schools once a week to collect their homework, the education minister said.

He acknowledged that education had suffered losses over the past few months but emphasised that the government also had to take care of people's health.

Mahmood said that in an earlier meeting the ministers had noted that opening of schools had a direct impact on infection rates.

"When we saw [infection rate rising], we closed schools because our experts told us that there is a clear link between school closures and infection rate," he told reporters.

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