ISLAMABAD – Federal Education Minister Shafqat Mehmood on Wednesday announced that schools located in coronavirus hotspot areas across Pakistan will remain closed till April 11.
He was speaking after chairing and important meeting of education and health ministers at the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) to decide the opening of schools amid the alarming coronavirus situation.
According to the NCOC data, the number of COVID-19 active cases has doubled in the last three weeks, it was 17,352 on March 6 which reached 36,849 on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the education minister said the government will hold a meeting with the Cambridge exams board to see whether examinations can be postponed or not.
“Board examinations of classes 9 to 12 will be held as per the timetable,” he said.
“We have seen that the number of cases in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Azad Kashmir has increased, the number of infections is relatively less in Sindh, Balochistan and Gilgit-Balochistan,” Mehmood said.
#Live:Minister for Federal Education and Professional Training Shafqat Mahmood @Shafqat_Mahmood addressing a news conference in Islamabad https://t.co/kxjDscNITE
— Radio Pakistan (@RadioPakistan) March 24, 2021
Keeping in view of the coronavirus situation, the provincial governments will decide the districts where educational institutions will remain closed.
He went on to highlight the fact that the closure of educational institutions is affecting the education of children but “the health of children is priority.”
The federal minister said that the next meeting of the education and health ministers will be held again on April 7 to review the whole situation.
Pakistan reports 30 new deaths, 3301 fresh cases of COVID-19 in 24 hours
