‘No change in schools reopening schedule’

LAHORE : Punjab Minister for School Education Dr Murad Raas has said that there is no change in schedule for reopening of schools in the province.

According to details issued by Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department (P&SHD) on Friday, 34 children were diagnosed with coronavirus positive in government and private schools during the first three days of opening of educational institutes in the province.

In a social media post, Dr Murad Raas observed that the government was monitoring the Covid-19 situation very closely on a daily basis. “We have sealed the schools where cases have been detected. Zero compromise on the health of our students, our teachers and their families,” he added. He, however, clarified that there was no change in schedule for reopening of schools in the province.

It is pertinent to mention here that in Punjab the government had announced reopening of campuses in a phased manner starting from September 15 (For Class 9th to Class 12th). In the second phases the schools would be offering classes for Grade-6 to Grade-8 from September 23 while in the third and last phase the schools would offer classes for Grade-1 to Grade-5 from September 30, 2020.

HED: Punjab Minister Higher Education Raja Yasir Humayun Sarfraz has said that the Higher Education Department (HED) will ensure implementation of SOPs in colleges and universities.

He said directions had been issued to all departments concerned and administrations of education institutions.

To monitor the situation, HED has introduced a WhatsApp number for common public and parents. They can share proof of violation of SOPs on WhatsApp number 03082033355. On receiving such information, HED officers would visit the educational institution concerned. If they found violation, strict action would be taken against the administration of that institution, he said.

The minister appealed common public, parents and students to share freely the information regarding violations of SOPs through WhatsApp. He insured that the identity of the complaints will not be revealed.