KOHAT: The Private Educational Association Kohat (Peak) has announced to reopen educational institutions from class 6thto the college level from August 15 (tomorrow), saying all the owners have been facing problems in hiring fresh staff after the lockdown.

It said that strict standard operating procedures and guidelines would be adopted for resuming all classes gradually from September.

It has been decided that the school timings would be from 8am to 10.30am and only compulsory subjects would be taught.

Rab Nawaz, president of Peak, which represents hundreds of schools and colleges,told this correspondent on Thursday that the teachers who could not be paid during the lockdown by the majority of financially weak institutions had quit their jobs.

Hesaid that they were fed up with the double standards of the government regarding implementation of the lockdown only for schools and colleges.

The Peak declared at a meeting to open the classes from 6th to 10thgrades in the junior section and the colleges, in big institutions, from Saturday (tomorrow) under SOPs.The small institutions would open for all grades from primary to college level because of their small strength.

Mr Nawaz said that social distancing would be ensured during the classes. He said that admissions would also be streamlined as many parents did not pay during the lockdown and recovery of fee was must to make up for the losses.

BAKERY PLANT SEALED: The halal food authority sealedthe plant of Chahat Bakery and imposed Rs50,000 fine on its owner over unhygienic conditions.

Food officer Salman Ahmed sealed it for three days and took guarantee on stamp paper that ofthe fine money theowner would spend Rs35,000 on the maintenance and improvement of the factory.

ANTI-POLIO DRIVE: District police officer Javed Iqbal has declared red alert in the whole district while finalising security arrangements for the five-day anti-polio vaccination campaign.

He said that 1,500 policemen were being deployed for security of the polio staff.

According to a statement, he said that for the polio campaign starting from Thursday section 144 had been imposed banning pillion riding, tinted glasses in vehicles and display of weapons.

Published in Dawn, August 14th, 2020