TAXILA: Punjab Minister for School Education Dr Murad Raas on Thursday said no decision has been taken to close schools in the province due to the increase in Covid-19 cases.

Addressing a press conference in Attock, he urged schoolchildren to strictly follow standard operating procedures (SOPs).

He said six months closure of educational institutions has already affected the students’ studies.

“The decision to open educational institutions was taken with great care and any hasty decision to close them again will destroy education,” he added.

He said the provincial government had taken steps for the development of the education sector which included construction of 2,000 classrooms, 1,000 computer labs, 1,000 science labs and 400 libraries in different schools across Punjab.

The minister said the provincial government has established Insaf Evening Schools where more than 22,000 students are studying while in Lahore the new schools have been opened in rented buildings and this policy will be extended to other districts, including Attock.

Published in Dawn, November 13th, 2020