6 months later, educational institutions reopen across Pakistan

KARACHI/ISLAMABAD/LAHORE/PESHAWAR/QUETTA: Six months after the government decided to shutter schools, colleges and universities across the country owing to the coronavirus pandemic, the educational institutions on Tuesday reopened across the country with fears of a second wave of the virus owing to children not following COVID-19 SOPs.

The government had decided to close school, colleges and universities in March in order to curb the spread of coronavirus. Sindh, however, had suspebded educational activities in the province on February 27 after detection of first COVID-19 case in Karachi.

On September 7, Federal Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood had announced that all higher education institutions in the country will reopen from September 15, while the students in grade IX to 12 will also return to school the same day.

As many as 30,000 seminaries across the country will also reopen from Tuesday in phases. Among the COVID-19 precautionary measures established by the government are providing sanitizers to teachers and staff as well as masks.