QUETTA: Provincial Education Minister Yar Mohammad Rind has announced that educational institutions will not be closed in Balochistan due to Covid-19.

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, he said annual exams of matriculation, FA and FSC would be held as per schedule.

He said the National Command and Operation Centre had allowed the provinces to close educational institutions, but “we have decided to keep all educational institutions open”.

Mr Rind said that since Covid-19 cases were declining in Balochistan the government had decided not to close educational institutions in the larger interest of students.

He said the Covid-19 situation in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and other parts of the country was quite different where cases were increasing with the passage of time.

The minister said the provincial government could change its decision if people did not follow the standard operating procedures (SOPs). “We are making efforts to fully enforce SOPs in all educational institutions to save our students from the coronavirus pandemic,” he added.

He said the government would immediately close an educational institution if a single coronavirus case was reported from there.

In response to a question about the sit-in being held by government employees to force the authorities to raise their salaries, Mr Rind said the negotiation teams of both the government and protesting employees should show flexibility and find out a solution of the issue.

Education Secretary Sher Khan Bazai was present during the minister’s press conference.

Published in Dawn, April 7th, 2021