Shafqat Mehmood chairs NCOC meeting to decide closure of schools

ISLAMABAD: Federal Education Minister Shafqat Mehmood is chairing a meeting at the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) to discuss the current COVID-19 situation with all the health and education ministers, the education ministry said in a tweet on Tuesday.

“The  NCOC meeting will take stock of the pandemic situation in the country and decide the fate of schools,” it said.

The third wave of coronavirus has wreaked havoc in the country with the daily caseload exceeding 5,000. The number of active cases has more than tripled in the last few weeks.

The federal government had earlier shut all educational institutions in cities where the coronavirus positivity ratio was high till April 11.

In a statement on Sunday, Mehmood said that education and health ministers will meet at the NCOC on April 6 (today) to decide whether to open or further close educational institutions.

The minister said that the exam situation will also be discussed during the meeting.

“Whatever is decided will be a collective decision of the country’s health and education authorities NCOC,” he had said.

Students are staging protests in major cities demanding postponement of exams as in-person learning has been badly affected due to the closure of schools.

On the other hand, the Sindh government has suspended on-campus learning till class 8 from April 6 for 15 days, citing risks of the spread of COVID-19.

The provincial government has also suggested the Centre impose a ban on inter-provincial and air transport to control the third wave of coronavirus which has wreaked havoc in the last few weeks. 

Article source: https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/815754-shafqat-mehmood-chairs-meeting-to-decide-closure-of-schools