-No promotion without exams this year, minister tells students
By Uzma Zafar
ISLAMABAD: The Federal government on Monday announced phase-wise reopening of the educational institutions from January 18, closed on November 26, 2020 as a precautionary step to combat COVID-19 in the country.
This was announced by the Minister for Federal Education and Professional Training Shafqat Mehmood along with Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Health, Dr Faisal Sultan in a joint press conference here after taking final decision at National Command and Operation Center (NCOC).
The administrative and teaching staff was allowed to rejoin their institutions from January 11 after the end of the winter vacations.
The secondary and higher secondary students having boards’ examinations, contrary to online, were allowed to resume physical classes at their respective institutions.
While all the universities and higher education institutions will resume their classes from February 1st, 2021, the minister said.
The board exams scheduled in March and April, he said, had been delayed and would now be held in May-June. This step was taken to give students more preparation time, lost due to the closure of institutions amid COVID, he added.Shafqat Mahmood said that the decisions were taken in the Inter Provincial Education Ministers Conference (IPEMC) in consultation with all other stakeholders. IPEMC meeting was unanimous to open up education sector across the country, he added.
The minister said the children’s health was incumbent government’s top priority and another review of the COVID situation on January 14-15 would be made before opening of the educational institutions.
Later on Monday Minister for Education Shafqat Mahmood cleared that no student will be promoted to next class without examinations this year. Taking to Twitter hours after announcing phase-wise reopening of educational institutions from Jan 18, he said: “All Board exams have been postponed to May June. Let me emphasise that this year nobody will be promoted without exams.”
Earlier, in his talk, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination Dr Faisal Sultan said that the country was witnessing downward trend on corona cases in second wave mainly due to timely decision of closure of the educational institutions. Dr Faisal said that strict preventive measures were adopted to avoid further spread of coronavirus in the country.
