All education institutions to be closed from Nov 26 to Jan 10 in Pakistan

All schools will arrange on-line education for the children till December 24 2020, while teachers and staff would be available in schools

ISLAMABAD: All schools will be closed from November 26, 2020 to December 24 all over the country while the provincial governments will give winter vacation from December 25 to January 10,2021, said Shafqat Mahmood, Federal Minister for Education here on Monday.

All the schools will arrange on-line education for the children till December 24 2020, while teachers and staff would be available in schools. The teachers would provide home works for those students who do not have the on-line education facility.

The decision has been taken after rising coronavirus cases throughout the country, the education minister said. The schools will resume activities after reevaluation of the situation in the first week of January 11, 2021.

“All ministers have mutually decided that to keep all educational institutions, including schools, colleges, universities, and tuition centres closed. However, online classes will continue from November 26 to December 24 after which winter break will start.

The decision has been made during the on-going Inter-Provincial Education Ministers Conference (IPEMC) convened to discuss school closures.

Minister Shafqat Mahmood said that children’s health and safety is the top-most priority of the government, adding that examinations scheduled to take place in December will be postponed, with the exception of a few professional exams.

“As far as closing schools is concerned, all the ministers have mutually agreed but micro-decisions regarding examinations and other matters will be taken by the respective provinces,” he said.

NCOC

As coronavirus cases spiked across the country, the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) recommended early and extended vacations.

Speaking to media on November 19, Federal Minister for Planning and Development and NCOC chief Asad Umar said the national body suggested cutting short summer break next year to compensate for the early and extended winter vacations this year.