Schools open flouting virus restrictions

MINISTER ORDERS STRICT ACTION AGAINST THOSE VIOLATING RULES

Asmall number of private schools in Karachi reopened yesterday violating the lockdown measures still in place in the country to prevent spread of the coronavirus infection.

Closure of educational institutions in Sindh province on February 27 was the initial anticoronavirus measure that Pakistan took after the first cases of Covid-19 were reported a day earlier. Since then the government-run and private schools, colleges and universities have been closed in the province.

The Sindh government announced that it would adhere to the decision of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCoC), which decided to reopen educational institutions in the country from September 15. The NCoC is one of the top-level decisionmaking forums in Pakistan to steer a consensus nationwide strategy against coronavirus.

The Sindh government said that it was preparing to ensure reopening of educational institutions from September 15 under the countrywide policy. These preparations include adoption of a set of Standard Operating Procedures for safe functioning of educational institutions to safeguard health of students, teachers, and nonteaching staff. Sindh Education and Labour Minister Saeed Ghani asked the officials concerned to immediately rescind the government’s registration of private schools, which reopened from yesterday violating government orders.

He asked the deputy commissioners posted in every district to take stern action against the private schools

flouting the lockdown measures of the government.

Endangering lives

The provincial education minister said that nobody would be allowed to endanger the lives and health of children.

He said that early reopening of private schools was tantamount to challenging the writ of the government as stern action would be taken against such violators.

Ghani also met Christina Brugiolo, chief of the Sindh chapter of the United Nations Children’s Fund, and informed her that early closure of the educational institutions was a difficult decision for the Sindh government but the time had completely proven the validity of the decision.

Unicef’s Sindh chief appreciated the timely steps of the Sindh government, including the foremost such decision of the closure of educational institutions to keep people safe from the Covid-19.

The Sindh government announced that it would adhere to the decision of the NCoC, which decided to reopen educational institutions in the country from September 15.