Schools to start 5-day regular classes from 1st

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training Shafqat Mehmood on Thursday announced that all the schools would resume regular 5-day classes from March 1. In a statement issued on Twitter, the federal education minister said that all schools will go back to regular 5-day classes from Monday, March 1.

"Restrictions imposed in some major cities on schools to conduct staggered classes was only till Feb 28," he added. Shafqat Mehmood said that the announcement applies to every educational institution in the designated cities where restrictions had been imposed. "Allah SWTs infinite mercy that we are returning to normal."

He further clarified that all educational institutions will continue to observe normal corona SOPs such as physical distancing, mask-wearing and ensuring hand washing facilities.

In January, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), after a detailed discussion with all stakeholders, had decided that students in Karachi, Hyderabad, Lahore and Peshawar would attend classes with 50% strength on alternate days due to coronavirus cases in these cities. The educatiocal education activities in all the regions - at the primary, middle and university level - had resumed with strict compliance of COVID-19 SOPs from February 1. The forum had decided to reopen the education sector with strict recommendations of staggered classes for three days a week in the urban centres, in light of the higher coronavirus positivity ratio reported there.