The Inter-Provincial Education Ministers Conference (IPEMC) has decided not to close educational institutions throughout the country keeping in view the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

The conference, chaired by Federal Minister for Education Shafqat Mehmood, deliberated on three-point agenda including winter vacations, shifting academic year from April to August and board examinations of grade eight.

Health Ministry officials also briefed the meeting which was attended by education ministers and other high-level officials of all provinces via video link. The health officials also threw the weight behind keeping the education process going on.

The meeting was told that the situation at educational institutions was under control and at the moment it just does not necessitate the closure of the institutions.
The meeting decided to hold another meeting in December to review the situation and discuss the issue of winter vacations.

Punjab Education Minister Dr Murad Raas said: “Just got done with the meeting of all Education Ministers of Pakistan. Schools in Punjab will remain open and run on the current schedule. All other news is fake news.”

“COVID-19 situation is under control as of now. Please follow SOPs issued by School Education Department Punjab,” he appealed.

https://twitter.com/DrMuradPTI/status/1324252879587319809

On the other hand, Pakistan has reported the highest coronavirus deaths in three months as the number of positive cases has surged to 338,875. The nationwide tally of fatalities has jumped to 6,893.

According to the latest figures by the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC), 1,302 persons have been tested positive for COVID-19 in 24 hours. Sindh remains the worst-hit province by the pandemic in terms of cases followed by Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Islamabad.

Till now 147,787 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Sindh, 105,535 in Punjab, 40,022 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 20,694 in Islamabad, 16,026 in Balochistan, 4,491 in Azad Kashmir and 4,320 in Gilgit-Baltistan.