Amid the worsening coronavirus situation and speculations regarding the National Command and Operations Centre’s (NCOC) decision on schools’ closure, Twitterati demanded Federal Minister for Education Shafqat Mehmood to close educational institutions across the country.
The NCOC was expected to reach a decision on whether schools would close or not in a meeting held today (Monday) after consultations with the federal and provincial health and education ministers. However, the forum did not make a decision, saying it will first look at the data of positivity rates of various institutions.
Hundreds of Twitter users, especially students have mentioned the education minister in their tweets and subsequently, Shafqat Mehmood was trending on the microblogging site yet again.
The Twitterati said that with a number of younger students, who haven’t been vaccinated, present together in the classrooms, the situation could be hazardous for them and others around them.
Here are some of the tweets that voice the public’s concern as Pakistan continues its battle against the fifth COVID-19 wave.
#Ncoc lets wake them up, when all the other countries cares about their students and close all educational institutions & then there is our govt who donβt even care about us. So irresponsible & at the end they blame the peoples. #closealleducationalinstitutions #ShafqatMahmood
— Shafia Zahra (@ShafiaZahra5) January 16, 2022
Meanwhile, some of the Tweeps shared memes on the NCOC’s decision regarding the schools’ fate.
Allah has given a chance to #NCOC and #ShafqatMahmood to get more and more prayers from students. Nd there's equal chance of curse. Now let's see what @OfficialNcoc and @Shafqat_Mahmood choose to get from students. Think once before you decide.ππ
— Raam Lakhan Ravian (@ravianlakhan) January 17, 2022
NCOC meeting will be held Today
— Mohammad Asad (@MohammadAsad77) January 17, 2022
Boys right now:#NCOC #ShafqatMahmood #closealleducationalinstitutions #ImranKhan pic.twitter.com/OYiYQDkgFR
Waiting for our sarprise sir,π #ShafqatMahmood @Shafqat_Mahmood #NCOC pic.twitter.com/Kcpdq53kP2
— Hamza Ali (@hamzaalireal) January 15, 2022
The NCOC had called a meeting of the provincial health and education ministers today to take decisions on coronavirus restrictions, including schools’ closure, amid a rapid increase in COVID-19 infections.
“Decision about education institutions will be taken on data of positive cases of various institutions for which massive testing in education institutions is being carried out,” the NCOC had said in a brief statement issued after the meeting concluded.
