Govt decision to reopen educational institutions on 18th challenged in court

LAHORE: A writ petition was filed in the Lahore High Court on Thursday challenging the government’s January 4 decision to reopen educational institutions across the country on Jan 18.

Advocate Syed Faisal Miran petitioned the high court, naming Federal Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood and other relevant authorities as respondents.

He states that the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic is proving to be more dangerous yet the government didn’t ready itself in advance to cope with the situation.

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He said social distancing and other Covid-19 rules are flagrantly being violated across the country everyday. The government-prescribed SOPs were not adhered to at educational institutions previously, he pointed out.

The petitioner pleaded with the court to set aside the government’s decision to reopen educational institutions without, what he said, taking proper measures to safeguard pupils against the highly contagious disease.

Also Read: Govt to reopen educational institutions in phases starting Jan 18: Shafqat Mahmood

On Jan 4, a meeting of education ministers had decided to reopen educational institutions across the country in a phase-wise manner with classes nine to 12 resuming in the first phase on January 18.

Speaking at a press conference after the meeting, Federal Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood announced that classes one to eight will resume from January 25 in the second phase whereas universities and other higher education institutions will resume on-campus sessions from Feb 1.