Islamabad: The upcoming meeting of education ministers is expected to mull reopening of educational institutions in three phases, .
The federal government, on the recommendation of the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC), had closed educational institutions from November 26, 2020 to January 10, 2021.
Under that plan, schools were to reopen on January 11. But the rising spread of the novel coronavirus across the country has cast a shadow on that decision with federal and provincial education ministers saying that it was “unlikely” educational institutions would be allowed to reopen.
The matter would be reviewed at a meeting of the education ministers, chaired by Federal Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood, on January 4 to discuss the national education policy. The final decision would be taken after advice from the health ministry on the matter.
Sources that the education ministers would deliberate reopening educational institutions in phases. In the first phase, the primary level students would head back to school on January 25. The second phase would see middle schools reopening by February 4 and the higher education institutions would start by February 15 in the third phase.
It has been proposed to delay school and board examinations till last week of May or early June. The summer vacations would be shortened with the new academic year beginning in August.
