The educational institutions for grade 9 to 12 reopened in 13 districts including Lahore and Rawalpindi, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

In the first phase, 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th classes have started in 13 districts of the province Lahore, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Toba Tek Singh, Multan, DG Khan, Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar Khan, Sargodha, Gujrat, Gujranwala, Sheikhupura and Sialkot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKTDj7pA2fk

Matric and Intermediate students will be allowed to be called under the 50 percent attendance policy while half of the students will come to the educational institutions on Monday and the other half on Thursday, as per the NCOC decision.

However, the classes for Grade 1 to Grade 8 will remain suspended in these districts till Eid.

The TV channel reported that SOPs will be implemented in educational institutions as educational activities resumed in 13 districts after one month.

Education Minister Shafqat Mehmood held a special meeting of NCOC and announced that classes from 1st to 8th class will be closed till Eid-ul-Fitr and O/A levels examinations will be as per schedule. While Board examinations will be held in the last week of May.

Shafqat Mehmood said, “The following decisions were taken with complete consensus. Classes 9 to 12 would commence in affected districts in a staggered manner to allow students to prepare for Board exams.”

The next meeting of NCOC will be held on May 12.

Due to an increase in coronavirus cases, educational institutions were closed on March 13.

The TV channel reported students are over the moon after the resumption of educational activities in schools and colleges after much time.

Mian Raza-ur-Rehman, President, Schools Association of Pakistan, thanked federal minister Shafqat Mahmood and Punjab Education Minister Dr Murad Raas for reopening schools for the ninth and tenth class from April 19 (today).

Dr Murad Raas said that education cards like ‘health cards’ would be introduced for schools where the monthly fee is less than Rs4,000. He said that schools would be reopened where the spread of coronavirus is less than eight percent.