RAWALPINDI – The government has decided to reopen all educational institutions in Rawalpindi division from tomorrow (Tuesday) after improvement was recorded in smog situation.
The administration has issued a notification regarding reopening of private and public schools in all four districts of Rawalpindi Division.
Educational activities will resume in Rawalpindi, Jhelum, Attock and Chakwal districts from November 19, said the notification.
Physical attendance of students and staff will be mandatory in educational institutions of Rawalpindi Division from tomorrow.
The educational institutions in Murree have already opened, and academic activities will continue as usual.
Earlier, the Punjab government had announced the closure of schools in the Rawalpindi division till November 24 after smog situation worsened in the region.
The government is yet to take a decision about reopening educational institutions in other cities after reviewing air quality situation.
Meanwhile, heavy smog continues to blanket provincial capital Lahore, pushing air quality of metrpolis to hazardous levels, making it second most polluted city in world today.
In the early hours of Monday, the AQI Index reached a critical 490, signaling dangerous pollution levels, while Delhi topped the global chart with an AQI of 1,226.
At noon, the city of 13.5 million is experiencing very unhealthy air quality, with AQI of 220, primarily due to high levels of PM2.5. The pollutants are at 144.7 µg/m³, which is 28.9 times above the WHO’s annual air quality guideline.
