ISLAMABAD : Federal Minister for Education Shafqat Mahmood has said that the decision to close down educational institutes was taken due to non-compliance with the safety standard operating procedures (SOPs).
Talking to a private news channel, the minister said that students’ health is the top priority of the government and called upon students and teachers to continuously cooperate with authorities in curbing the spread of Covid-19. He added that the health department data showed rapid virus transmission in education institutes.
Underscoring that children’s health cannot be taken lightly, the minister said there are around 50 million students across the country i.e. almost one-fourth of the national population whose lives cannot be put into jeopardy. “They can become carriers. So it is necessary to shut down schools,” he maintained.
The minister said that the students should focus on self-improvement and to continue learning during the coronavirus pandemic. He said with the help of online platforms, students can revise their lessons, practice academic exercises and obtain immediate feedback from their teachers. He said that those who cannot adopt online schooling should give out homework to keep the education of students going. “Students or parents can be called once a week to submit the homework,” he added.
He said the decision was taken after a near consensus was reached during the National Command and Operations Centre meeting. TLTP
