Punjab govt issues school reopening schedule

• Schools will reopen for teachers and staff on January 11
  
• Students of grade 9 to 12 will rejoin on January 18, whereas those from grade 1 to 8 will rejoin from January 25
• Universities and colleges will reopen on February 1

LAHORE: The Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training on Tuesday issued a schedule according to which educational institutes will reopen across Punjab.

According to an official notification, a copy of which was shared by the Punjab Education Minister Murad Raas on Twitter, the 25th meeting of the Inter-Provincial Education Ministers Conference (IPEMC) was jointly held with the Punjab Healthy Ministry and the National Command Operations Centre (NCOC) during which the phased reopening of schools in the province as well as the schedule of examinations in 2021 was announced. 

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Schedule

January 11, 2021: Schools across Punjab will reopen only for teachers and staff members.

January 18, 2021: Schools across Punjab will reopen for grade 9 to grade 12 only.

January 25, 2021: Schools across Punjab will reopen for grade 1 to grade 8.

February 1, 2021: All universities and colleges will reopen across Punjab.

Per the new schedule, all schools in Punjab will reopen on January 11 for teachers and staff members so that they can prepare the term's academic calendar and devise a plan for the implementation of coronavirus standard operating procedures (SOPs) before the commencement of classes.

Read more: Govt decides to reopen schools in phases

On Monday, January 18, schools will reopen for grade 9 to grade 12 only. On January 25, schools will reopen for students of grade 1 to 8, while universities and colleges will reopen from February 1, 2021.

"All dates are subjected to regular COVID-19 health status review and updates," the notification stated. "All examination boards have agreed to hold the Board exams in the month of May and early June 2021 to compensate for academic losses and the coverage of syllabus."

The notification added that "all the concerned departments are requested to issue a notification for the implementation of the decisions."