ISLAMABAD: The federal government has decided to take examinations of all students after June 20 under the anti-COVID Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
As per details, a meeting of federal and provincial education ministers decided on Monday to hold board exams across the country after June 20.
According to a statement released by the Federal Ministry of Education after the meeting, the Inter-Provincial Education Ministers Conference (IPEMC) also decided that summer vacations would be shortened this year.
وفاقی وزیرشفقت محمودکی صدارت میں بین الصوبائی وزراء تعلیم کمیٹی کا اجلاس۔امتحانات 20 جون کے بعد شروع کرنے کا فیصلہ۔۔گرمیوں کی چھٹیاں محدود تعداد میں ہوں گی۔۔۔تمام وفاقی اکائیوں کو اساتذہ، نگران عملےاوردیگر انتظامی سٹاف کی بروقت ویکسی نیشن یقینی بنانے پر زور۔@Shafqat_Mahmood pic.twitter.com/Fbcjr3ovq3
— PTV News (@PTVNewsOfficial) May 24, 2021
Federal Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood presided over the meeting which was also attended by all provincial education ministers as well as different secretaries.
They “analyzed in detail all options” for holding exams across the country and decided that board exams would be held in Pakistan after June 20. The exact dates for the exams would be announced by the provinces later, the meeting decided.
Mahmood urged all federal units to focus on ensuring the timely vaccination of teachers, examination and administrative staff, adding that those who did not have a certificate of vaccination would not be called for invigilation duties. During the meeting, the National Education Framework was also shared with the provinces and approved “in principle”.
The meeting also discussed the handing over of staff of Basic Education Community Schools (BESC) and National Commission for Human Development (NCHD) schools to provinces after June 30 with committee chairman Mahmood asking the provinces to issue a notification regarding the devolvement soon.
On May 22, The National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) has directed the federal and the provincial governments to keep the educational institutions closed till June 6 in COVID-19 hotspot areas.
In a letter sent to the provincial governments on Saturday, the NCOC said educational institutions in the districts where the coronavirus positivity ratio is high, should not reopen on May 24 as was previously decided.
They must instead remain closed till June 6. “The districts where the infection rate is less — below 5% — can reopen educational institutions (on May 24),” NCOC added.
The NCOC has set a cap of 5% positivity ratio for reopening of schools; if a district has an infection rate higher than the limit, educational institutes there are barred from reopening. A decision on whether or not educational institutes can reopen on June 7 will be taken on June 3, the letter added.
