Govt decided to close all educational institutions across the country from November 26 to January 10

ISLAMABAD: Due to alarming rise in Corona virus, it has been decided to provide online education in all educational institutions across the country from November 26 to December 24 and winter holidays from December 25 to January 10, 2021.

Following the inter-provincial education ministers’ meeting, it has been decided to close universities, colleges and schools from November 26, 2020 to December 24 and provide online education in the meantime due to increasing cases of Education Minister Corona along with Special Assistant for Health. The Education Ministers Conference agreed to grant winter break from December 25, 2020 to January 10, 2021.

The Federal Minister for Education said that a meeting would be convened in the first week of January to review the epidemic situation and the educational institutions are expected to reopen by January 11, 2021 as the situation in corona cases has reduced. Exams in December were postponed until mid-January.

He said that all the universities will continue their education online, only PhD students can be kept in the universities, however, this will be decided by the universities themselves, by postponing the examinations in all the educational institutions. Given, only pre-announced admission or job entry tests can be taken during this time.

Education Minister Shafqat Mehmood said that the board examinations which were to be held in March, April 2021 would be held in May and June, while the new academic year could be started in August by restricting summer vacations.

Earlier, a meeting of inter-provincial education ministers was held under the chairmanship of Federal Minister for Education and Vocational Training Shafqat Mahmood, in which the provincial ministers of education and health, concerned officials participated through video link. The meeting reviewed the growing cases of corona virus and the situation of spread in educational institutions.

The Ministry of Health said in a briefing on the current situation in Corona that the rate of positive cases in the last one week of the global epidemic in educational institutions has been 82% while the daily rate has increased from 1.8% to 3.3%.

On the occasion, Federal Minister for Education and Vocational Training Shafqat Mahmood said that children are the future of the country, there will be no compromise on their health, the lives of children cannot be endangered in the current alarming situation.

In view of the alarming situation of the global epidemic, the Federal Ministry of Education and Vocational Training proposed to close educational institutions across the country from November 26 to December 24 and postpone examinations in educational institutions, which the provincial education ministers agreed to.