Punjab, KP reopen schools from next week

LAHORE – Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Friday announced to resume classes from grade 9 to 12, days after the educational institutions in the provinces were closed in districts with a high coronavirus positivity ratio.

Punjab Education Minister Muraad Raas in a tweet said that classes 9, 10, 11, 12 will start in public and private schools on April 19, adding that the classes will take place twice a week (Monday and Thursday).  

He added the classes will resume in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Sheikhupura, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Sialkot, Multan, TT Singh, Sargodha, Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar Khan, and DG Khan.

Raas further said that classes 1-8 in high-risk districts will remain suspended till Eid-ul-Fitr.

He went on to said that the classes in other district will continue as per their schedule.

He announced that examinations for classes 9-12, O, and A-Level will be held as per scheduled.

Similarly, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Elementary and Secondary Education Shahram Khan Tarakai shared a notification on Twitter stating that the classes 9-12 would resume from April 19.

"It is planned to stagger classes of grade 9, 10, 11, 12 under the strict compliance of SOPs while the rest of the classes will be started from 27 April 2021," he said.

"All public and private educational institutions including cadet colleges, model schools, madaris, academies and tuition centers in the Districts of Peshawar, Nowshera, Charsadda, Mardan, Swabi, Kohat, Swat, Malakand, Dir Lower, Dir Upper, Buner, Bajaur, Khyber, Shangla, Abbottabad, Haripur, Chitral Upper, Chitral Lower, Mansehra, DI Khan, and Bannu shall commence classes for grade-9 to grade-12 from 19 April," the notification read.

It added that the classes for grade-1 to 8, shall remain closed till April 27.

The districts where restrictions have not been imposed educational institutions due to the COVID-19 situation shall continue to hold all classes as per the schedule.