The Inter-Provincial Education Ministers Conference (IPEMC) has opted to keep educational institutions open across the nation, except in Sindh, where they would stay closed until at least August 8, according to the Federal Minister of Education Shafqat Mehmood.
Shafqat Mehmood made the statement as authorities recorded over 5,000 new Covid cases on Wednesday, with the national positive rate hovering around 8%.
Sindh Education Minister Saeed Ghani had notified the IPEMC, according to Mahmood, that the province will assess the coronavirus situation before August 8 and determine the next course of action for reopening schools and conducting exams.
Punjab, Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Balochistan, and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa have agreed to reopen schools in a phased manner, with 50% attendance, according to Mahmood, who announced the decisions taken during the IPEMC meeting.
He further added that examinations will be held according to schedule across the country except in Sindh.
The decisions issued on Wednesday, according to the minister, will be in effect until August 25, when the next education-related meeting will be held. The pandemic situation would be reviewed at the next meeting, and additional action would be taken.
Whereas, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), which acts as the nerve center for the government’s coordinated response to the pandemic, reported in its daily update that the national positivity ratio had reached 8.22% in the previous 24 hours.
According to the report, 57,398 tests were conducted in the previous 24 hours to discover infectious diseases among the general public in the country.