KARACHI: Sindh Education Minister Saeed Ghani said on Friday that the sub-committee of the steering committee for education had recommended to him that all educational institutions in the province should not be opened simultaneously on Sept 15.

Presiding over the meeting of the steering committee, he explained that the sub-committee proposed that children of higher classes should be sent to schools while children of lower classes should be sent to schools in stages.

A meeting of all provincial education ministers, to be chaired by the federal education minister, will be held on Sept 7 following which an announcement regarding the opening of educational institutions across the country will be made.

Meanwhile, the regular results of the students who have been promoted to the next level without examinations from class IX to class XII this time will be announced on Sept 15 and 30.

While the meeting discussed the reopening of educational institutions in the province, it also looked at and approved the standard operating procedures (SOPs) issued by the departments of education and health for the purpose.

Matriculation and intermediate results to be announced on Sept 15th and 30th respectively

The sub-committee presented its report in the meeting, which said that immediately after the opening of educational institutions, instead of opening all the classes at once, it should be opened in different phases.

“If the final decision is to open the educational institution on Sept 15, then classes IX and above should be opened in the first phase and one week after that on Sept 21, classes VI to VIII be opened and one week after that, that is Sept 28, the classes from pre-primary to V should be opened so that if any cases of Covid-19 come up during this time, we can control it immediately,” the committee recommended.

The education minister said that in light of the steering committee’s decision if the opening of educational institutions was announced from Sept 15, then all private educational institutions will open too as per the schedule approved by this committee.

He said that they would recommend to the federal committee on behalf of Sindh that if any school opens before the said date, the move should be considered being against the law. However, if any school needs to open to prepare and train its staff for carrying out the SOPs after the scheduled date they will have the permission to do so.

Class IX to XII results this month

The report of the sub-committee was approved by the steering committee. Later, the chairmen of secondary and intermediate boards informed the students of class IX to XII that their results will be announced soon. Following approval of the Promotion Ordinance the results of classes IX and X will be announced on Sept 15 while those of classes XI and XII will be announced on Sept 30.

The mark sheets will be released within a week of the results.

Mr Ghani also informed the meeting that some private colleges had admitted students and now they were also demanding mark sheets from these children.

He directed the additional secretary-HSC to contact these private colleges and inform them that the mark sheets of these students would be provided to them within a week of the announcement of the results of these examinations.

Later, various participants in the meeting apprised the minister about the full implementation of SOPs in public and private educational institutions and the difficulties that may be encountered in this regard.

The meeting was also attended by Education Secretary Muhammad Ahmed Narejo, Secretary Colleges Baqir Naqvi, Additional Secretary Fauzia Khan, Asif Memon, chairmen secondary and inter boards, private schools director general Mansoob Siddiqui and officials of all private school associations and education department officials.

Published in Dawn, September 5th, 2020