Virus test must for teachers before schools reopening: minister

LAHORE: Punjab Minister for School Education Dr Murad Raas has said that it will be mandatory for schoolteachers of public and private schools to get tested for COVID-19 before reopening of schools in the province.

Addressing a press conference here Tuesday, he said without COVID-19 test report no teacher would be allowed to enter the school. Dr Murad Raas said that no private school would be allowed to force students or parents to buy mask or any other related item from the school for protection against virus. To a question, he said the government could not afford to test every teacher and provide face mask to every student. He added that people should share this burden with the government. He added testing facility was available almost everywhere and there should not be any problem in this regard.

About the reopening of schools, the minister said 15 September was tentative date so far but final decision about the same would be announced after meeting of federal and all provincial education ministers in 7 September meeting. He said many parents were reluctant to send their kids to schools and added it was also under discussion to open schools in a phased manner such as opening schools for Class 6 onwards in the first phase. Answering another question, the minister said that work on reduced syllabus in the wake of prolonged schools closure was also in process and would be shared with schools and students once completed.

Dr Murad Raas said that 20 percent discount in monthly school fees would be continued for the month of September as well. He said that for the first time schools department had launched online registration system for private schools.

The minister said that in the recent ‘administrative transfers’ of teachers, almost 5,000 surplus teachers had been transferred to understaffed schools. He said neither any teacher who was physically challenged nor anyone going to be retired in a year was transferred and the whole exercise was done on merit basis. He said a proper mechanism to address genuine concerns over these transfers was available in the SIS system and all those aggrieved could register complaints on the portal.

Dr Murad Raas said that for the first time Federal Government Employees Housing Authority would offer special discount to schoolteachers of Punjab in its apartment project in Lahore. He said many people had approached him that some private schools were not allowing students to get registered for O-A levels re-examinations. He warned private schools to allow registration of O-A level students who wanted to appear in these exams and added otherwise he would name all such schools in his next press conference.