The Government Announces To Extend The Closure Of Educational Institutes Till 11th April 2021

The meeting of the national command and operation center is held today on 24th March 2021 to decide the extension of closure of the educational institutes due to the rapid increase in the number of coronavirus cases. The government has announced to shut down the educational institutes till 11th April 2021. The announcement was made by the federal minister for education and professional training, Shafqat Mahmood. According to the education minister, all institutes that include schools, colleges, universities, and seminaries will remain closed in the selected areas of Punjab such as Faisalabad, Sialkot, Multan, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Rawalpindi, Sargodha, Sheikhupura, and Lahore. 

Closure of Educational Institutes

Earlier it was announced that the institutes in Punjab will be closed from 15th March 2021 to 28th March 2021. In Balochistan and Sindh, 50% of students are allowed to attend the schools on alternate days to minimize the risk of the prevalence of the deadly virus. The minister further added that the provincial government can make the decision regarding the closure of the institutes in the various areas depending upon the situation of coronavirus. The decision should be made in consultation with the health department after reviewing the reported data by the health officials. Shafqat Mahmood has said that the school authorities can call the teachers to the school. He added that the government is continuously monitoring the COVID-19 situation although due to the closure of schools the students are at disadvantage but it is necessary to shut down the institutes for the health of students. 

SSC and HSSC Exams

The education minister has said that the annual exams of the matric and intermediate will be commenced according to the announced schedule. Earlier the Punjab boards of chairpersons has issued the matric date sheet 2021 and intermediate date sheet 2021 for the students and the exams are scheduled to be conducted in May, June, and July. The minister clarified that this year the students will not be promoted to the next grade without appearing in the annual exams 2021.