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KARACHI: All Pakistan Private School Federation (APPSF) president has threatened to launch a protest campaign if schools were not reopened in January as earlier decided by education ministers.
An inter-provincial education ministers’ conference chaired by Federal Minister for Education Shafqat Mahmood will be held on January 4 to decide about the reopening of schools, reduction in summer vacations, and school and board examinations in the last week of May and early June 2021 to allow for the completion of academic course work.
In a statement on Twitter, APPSF President Kashif Mirza announced that a long march would be staged if schools are not reopened on January 19 as per the decision of the education minister.
He said that as many as 10,000 private schools have been closed in Pakistan so far which has affected around ten million children. Mirza said that 20,000 private schools would be closed if the academic year commences from September.
Speaking to a private channel, APPSF President Kashif Mirza rejected the statement that schools may not be allowed to open considering the deteriorating situation of the coronavirus.
Sindh Education Minister Saeed Ghani had said it was unlikely the government would allow educational institutes to reopen from January 11 under the prevailing circumstances. The minister had reiterated that unlike the last academic year, no student would be promoted to the next year without sitting the examination this year.
APPSF chief said the owners would reject the decision of keeping the schools closed and would hold a long march to Islamabad. Mirza maintained that the virus did not spread in the UK due to schools and educational institutes are open in Europe. He also highlighted that only 14 percent of students have internet facility in Pakistan.
Educational institutions were closed by the government for the second time on November 26 due to the coronavirus pandemic. They were supposed to reopen from January 11 as per the government’s last announcement.
