Private schools announce free schooling for children of COVID-19 victims

KARACHI: Private school associations of Karachi have announced on Saturday free schooling up to matriculation for students who have lost their parents COVID-19, ARY News reported.

According to the details, representatives of private schools who jointly held a press conference in Karachi today announced free tuition for pupils whose parents died due to coronavirus.

Furthermore, the associations have claimed that they will ensure that all schools must follow the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) advised by the government.

An official from one of the representative groups, Shahzad Akhtar, while reiterating free tuition announcement, said that those parents who have not been able to pay the school fees for the past seven months will be allowed easy instalments. Akhtar urged the parents who could afford to pay the fee upfront to do so.

Another representative, Haider Ali, in his media address said that private schools endorse the 76-point SOPs laid out for the schools’ management and that they patiently await the SOPs for parents who send their children to schools.

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He asserted that the children will be safe in schools and that the school staff will ensure social distancing amongst the kids, adding that the staff training to ensure SOPs is underway. Ali said that school canteens will remain closed and the children will have to bring their lunch and water bottles from home.

Another representative, Syed Tariq Shah, noteddd that without the transfer certificates, no school will extend admissions to children in their schools, indicating the likely step by parents to default on seven-month fees and get their children admissions elsewhere.

Shah said that the kids with COVID-19 symptoms will be sent home without being marked absent.