Students back in school across Pakistan after more than 6 months

Published September 15, 2020
Students keep safe distance while attending an audio-visual class in Karachi on September 15. — Reuters
Students keep safe distance while attending an audio-visual class in Karachi on September 15. — Reuters

Millions of students in Pakistan returned to classes on Tuesday after a break of six months, as schools and colleges began to reopen for the first time since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.

Educational institutes were closed in March as the coronavirus began to spread in Pakistan, but, with daily infection numbers falling, the government last week announced a staggered resumption of classes.

“May God make us successful in this test, and may the loss suffered by the students be compensated," Minister of Education Shafqat Mahmood told reporters in Islamabad.

In pictures: Students across Pakistan head back to school for first time since March

Senior schools were the first to restart, with middle school set to go back next week and primary school the week after. The long closure led to the cancellations of exams and left academic calendars in disarray.

“Studies have been very badly affected,” Naseem Akhtar, principal of a girls' school in the port city of Karachi, told Reuters.

“We appreciate the decision of the government to open schools from today.”

Mahmood warned that schools that did not following precautionary measures, including the wearing of masks and social distancing, would be closed.

“The safety of these children is in our hands," Karachi teacher Sameera Chaudhry told Reuters.

Pakistan has recorded more than 300,000 cases of the coronavirus and more than 6,300 deaths but daily infections have been slowing from a peak of nearly 7,000, and 118 deaths, in one day in June.

“Online classes aren't as interesting as real life classes. In regular classes, when we don't understand something, we can easily ask the teacher to explain," said student Dua Mohammad Saleem.

She said she was pleased about the safety rules but some government officials were sceptical, saying younger children will not be able to follow the rules.

Opinion

Editorial

Smog hazard
05 Nov, 2024

Smog hazard

THE Punjab government would be keen to forget its first year of treating smog as ‘a year-round epidemic’ instead...
Monetary policy
05 Nov, 2024

Monetary policy

IN an aggressive move, the State Bank on Monday reduced its key policy rate by a hefty 250bps to 15pc. This is the...
Cultural power
05 Nov, 2024

Cultural power

AS vital modes of communication, art and culture have the power to overcome social and international barriers....
Disregarding CCI
Updated 04 Nov, 2024

Disregarding CCI

The failure to regularly convene CCI meetings means that the process of democratic decision-making is falling apart.
Defeating TB
04 Nov, 2024

Defeating TB

CONSIDERING the fact that Pakistan has the fifth highest burden of tuberculosis in the world as per the World Health...
Ceasefire charade
Updated 04 Nov, 2024

Ceasefire charade

The US talks of peace, while simultaneously arming and funding their Israeli allies, are doomed to fail, and are little more than a charade.