Punjab colleges to remain closed from tomorrow till Eid ul Fitr

LAHORE: All public and private colleges in Punjab will remain closed from tomorrow (April 29) till Eid-ul-Fitr holidays, as per a notification from the Punjab Higher Education (HED) department on Wednesday.

"In continuation of earlier notification on 25-04-2021 & in line with the decisions of #NCOC dated 27-04-2021 all Public & Private Colleges in Punjab shall remain closed w.e.f. 29-04-2021 till Eid-ul-Fitar 2021 holidays," read the notification.

No exams until June 15 due to rising coronavirus cases: Shafqat Mehmood

The decision by the provincial government comes a day after Federal Education Minister Shafqat Mehmood announced exams in Pakistan have been suspended and none will take place before June 15.

The decision was taken given the rising number of coronavirus cases in the country.

The minister and the SAPM were holding a press conference related to Cambridge exam centres as well as the overall situation of infections in the country after attending a special session of the NCOC.

During the press conference, Mehmood had said that from April 18 (when the last meeting of the education ministry was held) until now, the number of coronavirus cases has rapidly risen, therefore, the government has decided to postpone all exams until June 15.

He had said the country seems to be headed towards a complete lockdown in areas witnessing particularly high positivity ratios.

"Exams of 9, 10, 11 and 12, which were supposed to begin from the end of May, have been delayed further," the minister said. "No board exams will be held till mid-June (June 15)."

Mehmood added that another meeting of the NCOC will decide in the third week of May whether these exams will be postponed further or not.

"So if exams take place after June 15, they may continue in July and even August," the minister explained.

Cambridge exams

Speaking about Cambridge exams, Mehmood had said that O level exams will now be held in the October and November cycle and the same will be the case for A and AS level exams.

"Those students who wish to seek admission in Pakistani universities will be able to do so until January as the government will take the universities on board in this regard," the minister said.

He, however, said students of A2 must appear in the examination right now, as deferment would lead to a wasted year.