Saeed Ghani says exams may be delayed but will be held this year

• Saeed Ghani says exams maybe delayed but they will be held.
• Sindh minister says students will not be promoted without exams.
• Saeed Ghani hopes private schools will understand govt's position and agree to temporarily shut down schools.

KARACHI: Sindh Education Minister Saeed Ghani has said that exams may be postponed for two to three months depending on the coronavirus situation and vowed that students will not be promoted without them.

“Exams may be delayed but they will be held and students will not be promoted without them,” said Ghani while addressing a press conference in Karachi.

The provincial minister said that the matter was discussed during a meeting of the National Command Operations Centre (NCOC), adding that the decision to close schools was recommended by the steering committee for education.

Read more: Sindh suspends on-campus classes till grade 8 from April 6

The minister stated that no one, including the government, wants student's studies to be affected and that the closure will likely disrupt education once again. He, however, hoped that private schools will understand the government's position given the rise in the coronavirus cases and agree to shut down schools.

Sindh suspends on-campus classes till grade 8 from April 6

The Sindh Education Department has decided to suspend physical classes till grade 8 of all schools in the province from April 6.

The classes will remain suspended for 15 days, said Sindh Education Minister Saeed Ghani in a tweet.

He said children's education will continue through online classes, homework and other means during this period.

Earlier, Geo News had reported that the provincial government was considering to close schools till class 8 as coronavirus cases continue to increase in the country and Sindh.

Read more: Sindh coronavirus task force suggests closing schools for 15 days

Sources say a proposal was given to announce a closure of schools till class eight in a meeting of the steering committee of the Sindh Education Department, which was held under Ghani's chair.

During the meeting, two proposals regarding closure of schools in the province came up.

Last month, Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Pechuho had suggested to the NCOC that schools should be only be closed if at least three people — students or teachers — test positive for coronavirus.

The health minister had also suggested it would be better to postpone the examinations for two weeks — and a single exam should be conducted with strict adherence to COVID-19 standard operating procedures (SOPs).