Secondary classes in Sindh to begin from Sept 28: minister

Education Minister Saeed Ghani announced on Tuesday that the second phase of reopening of middle schools (classes VI to VIII) in Sindh will commence on September 28.

Speaking to journalists in Larkana, he said the decision to postpone the resumption of classes six to eight for a week was made keeping in view the ground realities. The government can’t compromise on children’s health until the SOPs are implemented in letter and spirit to keep Covid-19 at bay, he declared.

Read More: NCOC greenlights second phase of reopening schools across Pakistan

On Sept 18, Saeed Ghani had announced that the government was delaying resumption of academic sessions of classes 6 to 8 in schools across the province due to negligence seen in many educational institutions in the implementation of standard operating procedures (SOPs) against coronavirus pandemic.

Classes six to eight were supposed to resume sessions from Sept 21, a week after the resumption of on-campus classes for the higher grades on September 15.

Read More: ‘Hasty’ decision to shut schools will destroy education: Shafqat Mahmood

In a statement later on, the minister had said the second phase of reopening of schools for classes V to VIII was delayed until September 28 due to a rise in Covid-19 cases.

“Our children’s health is more important than education and private schools’ losses,” he maintained. He said they have delayed the resumption of secondary classes (V to VIII) by a week, which is not a big issue.