Sindh schools to continue 50pc attendance policy.

KARACHI -- Sindh Education Minister Saeed Ghani said on Sunday that 100 percent student attendance in schools across the province would not be allowed until the coronavirus pandemic was eliminated.

'How will social distancing be observed if we allow the resumption of 100 percent attendance in schools?' the minister questioned speaking at a press conference. He said educational institutions in Sindh would maintain 50 percent attendance. Saeed Ghani said the government would speed up the process of recruitment of teaching and non-teaching staff in the education department. According to the NCOC, time limit on commercial activities has been lifted and condition of 50 percent attendance at workplaces removed with immediate effect.

According to reliable sources, Sindh Education Minister Saeed Ghani on Sunday said that schools in the province will only be allowed to call 50 per cent of students at a time in line with the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) laid down by the government to curb the spread of COVID-19. While addressing a press conference, Ghani said: 'On one hand, the federal minister for education is announcing that [schools will be permitted to call] 100pc of the students and on the other hand, he is also asking for the implementation of SOPs [...] It is not possible to call 100pc of the students together.'

Ghani further said that implementation of SOPs will not be possible with 100pc of the students in attendance and maintaining social distancing will become hard.

He acknowledged that the number of infections had decreased over the past few weeks, but stressed that the virus has 'not been completely eradicated'. 'Until it (Covid-19) is completely eradicated, educational institutions will continue to follow SOPs and allow only 50pc of [students] in a day,' he declared.

Ghani was referring to an announcement by Federal Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood saying that the restrictions imposed on schools in some major cities to conduct...