KARACHI: The Sindh government on Sunday opposed the decision of the federal government allowing schools to resume 5-day regular classes from March 1, saying the announcement has created confusion among the students.
Speaking to the media, Sindh Education Minister Saeed Ghani said as per the decision by the provincial government, “Schools will allow 50 per cent attendance and we can not resume regular classes due to the coronavirus pandemic.”
Ghani said that 100 per cent student attendance in schools across the province will not be allowed until the coronavirus pandemic is eliminated. “How will social distancing be observed if we allow the resumption of 100pc attendance in schools?” the minister questioned.
Ghani said the government will speed up the process of recruitment of teaching and non-teaching staff in the education department.
The Sindh government is also working on making the transfer policy more “transparent”, Ghani said, adding that three categories have been made in this regard. Transfers have begun across the province in 7,000 schools that have been closed for the past several years due to teacher recruitment restrictions, but the remaining transfers will take place in August after the new academic year, he told reporters.
He said that due to Covid-19, educational institutions had remained closed for the past one year and the provincial government was facing difficulties in recruitment due to non-functioning of Sindh Public Service Commission
Earlier, Federal Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood had tweeted about the resumption of 100 percent student attendance in all education institutions across the country from March 1 (today).
“Important announcement. All schools will go back to regular 5 day classes from Monday March 1,” he wrote on his official Twitter handle. “Restrictions imposed in some major cities on schools to conduct staggered classes was only till Feb 28.”
The tweet came after the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) relaxed a number of restrictions on commercial activities and official work in view of the declining trend of Covid-19 cases in the country.
According to the NCOC, the time limit on commercial activities has been lifted and the condition of 50 percent attendance at workplaces removed with immediate effect.
