Students request Shafqat Mahmood to continue schools closure as he bats for on-campus classes

Though primary schools and universities have reopened after a nearly three-month gap, Pakistani students kept on petitioning Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood to urge educational institutions to continue with online classes. 

Most students in Pakistan, it seems, haven't had enough of online classes or exams. After the federal minister took to Twitter to highlight the importance of on-campus classes, several of them rejected his opinion.

They requested the education minister to resume online classes so that students can learn from the safe environs of their home in the prevalent coronavirus situation. 

"To those universities who are still not opening despite government permission, I have this to say; Online lessons however good are no substitute for on campus classes. Also interactions in the university mould social behaviour. They should reconsider," Shafqat Mahmood had tweeted. 

One student highlighted how he had taken classes the entire year but now, his university was calling students to give their exams on campus. 

Another student said that the University of Sindh had not taken any classes on campus throughout the year but were now conducting exams on the campus. He urged the minister to take action against the varsity. 

Another individual highlighted that Pakistan was still not "COVID-free" and that rationing the number of students per class was the only solution. 

Another student called on the minister to ensure medical exams are held online as "we are dying from depression". 

However, there were some students who thanked the minister for allowing universities and educational institutions to reopen as they felt teachers didn't know how to hold classes online. 

Pakistan primary schools, universities reopen after nearly 3-month gap amid COVID-19 pandemic

Primary and middle schools and universities across Pakistan reopened today (Monday) after a gap of nearly three months as the country continues to fight the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

NCOC decides all remaining classes should resume

The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), after a detailed discussion with all stakeholders, had decided that educational institutions shall resume all remaining classes — at the primary, middle and university level — on February 1.

The forum decided that students in Karachi, Hyderabad, Lahore and Peshawar would attend classes with 50% strength on alternate days.

Read more: Pakistan decides to reopen schools amid coronavirus pandemic

However, universities would resume operations as per the usual schedule.

The forum was informed that globally, the disease trend had witnessed a hike after the complete reopening of the education sector, therefore the approach to cut down the attendance on a given day would help in reducing the resurgence of the contagion.