School closures in COVID-19 second wave: A wake-up call for the nation

A meeting of inter-provincial education ministers chaired by Federal Minister for Education Shafqat Mahmood has said that all educational institutions, including schools, colleges and tuition centers, will close down from November 26 due to the surge of coronavirus cases and deaths across the country.

Shafqat Mahmood further said that home learning will continue from November 26 to December 24. From December 25 till 10 January 2021 there will be winter holidays. The minister informed, then from January 11, if the COVID-19 situation improves once again open all educational institutions.

The education minister stated that all examination schedules for December have been postponed. Exams will start from 15 January 2020, if the situation of the COVID-19 improves in the country. He said that there were some professional exams that would continue as per the timetable and schedule.

Rising COVID-19 cases

In recent months, the country’s coronavirus infections and deaths have seen a sharp increase. The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) was informed that the patients hospitalized due to the virus have doubled in the last two weeks while the positivity ratio augmented to 7.46 % in the last 24 hours on Monday (today).

Maximum positivity rate

In the country, the maximum positivity rate had reached 23% in June as it had increased from 6% in May, while the positivity rate was brought down to 1.7% in September.

There had also been a boost in the number of infections reported at educational institutions across the country, with 19% of total coronavirus cases being reported among students. The positivity ratio in educational institutions rose from 1.8 % to 3.3% during the last week — an increase of 82%.

Due to the COVID-19 outbreak educational institutions had faced about a seven-month closure and now in the pandemic’s second spell, education ministry officials had said the closure had become forthcoming due to the rising numbers of COVID-19 cases.

The current condition of COVID-19

The coronavirus has claimed 34 more lives in Pakistan, bringing the total death toll to 7,696. According to statistics released by the National Command and Operations Center on Monday, 2,756 more cases of coronavirus have been reported in the last 24 hours and the total number of affected people has reached 376,929.

The number of people recovering from coronavirus in Pakistan is 330,885 and 38,348 are undergoing treatment. The condition of 1,677 patients infected with coronavirus is critical.

The number of coronavirus cases in Islamabad is 27,018, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 44,599, Sindh 1, 63,329, Punjab 1,14,508, Balochistan 16,810, Azad Kashmir 6,123 and Gilgit-Baltistan 4,542.

The highest number of deaths due to coronavirus is in Punjab where 2,861 people have lost their lives. 2,829 people have lost their lives in Sindh, 1,325 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 327 in Islamabad, 95 in Gilgit-Baltistan, 161 in Balochistan, and 144 in Azad Kashmir.

Need for reacting skillfully and strategically

There is no doubt that the closure of educational institutions has been a huge setback for students across the globe.

Particularly in Pakistan where internet access in many areas is limited, virtual classes have been tremendously difficult to hold if not impossible. For young children, too, the disruption in learning has had results for their emotional well-being.

Hence, the people and authorities’ concerns regarding the closure of educational institutions are legitimate. However, as there is a fear that infection rates will rise further. As unfortunately, no SOPs are being enforced at educational institutions and gatherings across the country.

In order to get ahead of the events, educational institutes and authorities require reacting skillfully and strategically. In addition to essential project management and communications roles, it is crucial for senior leadership to have access to epidemiological expertise.

Across the world, researchers in healthcare, policy, and technology are using their expertise day in and day out, hoping to crack what has the potential to become an unsolvable puzzle.

In a nation like Pakistan, where more than 65 percent of the population is under 26 years of age, such an approach will certainly shape a better future in the years to come across all sectors of business, industry, and governance.

Decision-makers also require strategically utilizing and allocating resources in a manner that permits smaller institutes to utilize expertise from larger universities.

As Pakistan moves on from its deadliest day yet of the novel COVID-19 pandemic, there exists a genuine opportunity for the higher education sector to turn a new leaf and use this opportunity to move forward towards a sustainable future.

Achieving this will need a willingness to think outside traditional boxes and implement innovative, adaptive and proactive measures across the board.

The closures of educational institutions in COVID-19 second wave is a wake-up call for the nation and authorities to find ways by immediate response to tackle such situations and lay the foundation for reaching long-term goals.