As the government has announced the reopening of schools with strict Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), Prime Minister PM Imran Khan also welcomes the children back to school.
In a tweet on Monday, PM Imran said that the government has fully worked on the school operation to ensure every child’s safety.
The tweet read: “Tomorrow we welcome millions of children back to school. It is our priority & collective responsibility to ensure that every child can go to school safely to learn. We have worked to ensure that school operations are aligned with public health safety rules on COVID-19.”
Tomorrow we will welcome millions of children back to school. It is our priority & collective responsibility to ensure that every child can go to school safely to learn. We have worked to ensure that school operations are aligned with public health safety rules on #COVID19
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) September 14, 2020
Earlier, Sindh government spokesperson Murtaza Wahab had urged the government officials and educational departments to reconsider their decision of reopening schools, stating that the “situation is still not certain”.
In a tweet, Murtaza Wahab stressed that children may not be able to follow the COVID-19 SOPs and that the infection has still not been eliminated across the country.
On September 7, Federal Minister for Education Shafqat Mahmood had said that educational institutions will reopen across the country in phases starting September 15, as COVID-19 infections continue to decline.
“All universities, Higher Education Commission’s (HEC) institutes, and colleges will be reopened from September 15,” said Mahmood. “[The government] has allowed for classes of grades IX, X, and XI to be conducted [from September 15] as well.”
The minister had thanked parents for “patiently waiting” for the past six months, stating that the country is now able to reopen colleges and universities from September 15.
Shafqat Mahmood said the government had to make difficult decisions during the lockdown period, which included the promotion of around four million students of higher secondary education to their next classes. Expressing his gratitude to the parents of students for showing perseverance during the difficult times, he urged the teachers and school administration to fully cooperate with the government and ensure compliance of the anti-COVID SOPs at their institutions. He warned the school administrations of strict actions in case of non-compliance. He also lauded the efforts of NCOC or making the decision possible.