KP to conduct COVID-19 tests of students, school staff

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) education department has decided to conduct random COVID-19 tests of students and school staff prior to the reopening of educational intuitions in the province.

In this reared, the provincial government has informed the administration of all schools about the decision.

The circular issued by the education department stated that the health department teams will visit different government and private schools for COVID-19 test samples.

The education department has directed the administration of schools to cooperate with health department teams in this regard.

Teachers will undergo coronavirus tests before the opening of schools, while COVID019 tests of students would be taken after the reopening of educational institutions on September 15, read the declaration.

Earlier, Federal Minister for Education Shafqat Mahmood had said that the final decision to reopen schools that were closed in March to prevent the spread of COVID-19 would be taken at an interprovincial education ministers’ conference on September 7.

Speaking at a press conference, he had said that the Ministry of Health would devise standard operating procedures (SOPs) for educational institutions to follow to prevent the spread of the virus. Schools would reopen from September 15 given that the COVID-19 situation improves, he had added.

The minister said it was decided with consensus among all the provincial education ministers to close educational institutions during the pandemic.

He said Pakistan gave an outstanding response to the COVID-19 challenge in the education sector.

The inter-provincial education ministers’ forum was made functional to reach consensus decisions for the development of the education sector, he added.