LAHORE: In-person teaching at educational institutes resumed across the province on Monday after the coronavirus cases declined after the third wave.

The schools and colleges reopened all over Punjab except the Khanewal and Rahim Yar Khan districts where the ratio of coronavirus positive test results is over eight per cent. All schools, colleges and universities have started holding in-person classes with strict SOPs in place to keep the pandemic in check.

Last week, the National Command and Operation Centre allowed resuming in-person education in the districts where the positivity ratio is less than five per cent from June 7.

The Punjab government also had ordered the resumption of educational activities in all public and private schools of the province on a staggered basis for all classes from June 7. The the government also had imposed some conditions including that only 50 percent of students will attend classes on a given day, secondly, no student shall attend the school for two consecutive days and thirdly all the concerned authorities shall ensure the observance and compliance of Covid-19 SOPs in letter and spirit.

As the in-person classes were being held with 50 percent of students, there was also a thin presence of the students in the institutes. Meanwhile, guards of the schools, colleges and universities were directed not to allow any of the students to enter the campuses without wearing face masks.

Punjab University Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Niaz Ahmed Akhtar said that they would try to compensate for the educational loss of the students during in-person classes.

He said the online examinations being conducted of different subjects would be continued and they would not change it to in-person exams.

ENTRANCE TEST: University of Engineering and Technology (UET) Lahore has announced the final date of combined entry test for admissions in B.Sc Engineering and B.Sc Engineering Technology across Punjab.

The mock tests for undergraduate programs will be held on July 2 and 3, while the entrance tests will be held from July 5 to 8. However, the registration will be continued till June 27.

According to the university spokesperson, the admit cards of the students have been updated to participate in the entrance test.

She added the students could download and reprint the new updated admit cards from the university web portal and the date of entry test were changed due to prevalent Covid-19.

DAANISH SCHOOLS: Up to 700 students of the Punjab Daanish Schools from a session of 2019-20 have secured admissions on open merit to reputed Institutions/Universities of Pakistan.

Of 779 students, 33 got admission to MBBS, 90 in Engineering and 713 students secured admission to renowned institutions like Lums, Agriculture University Faisalabad, UET, Comsats, Fast, PIEAS, Numal Mianwali and University of the Punjab, Lahore Campus.

Published in Dawn, June 8th, 2021