Federal Education Minister Shafqat Mehmood announced that all public and private schools in seven cities of Punjab will observe spring break and be closed for 2 weeks starting 15 March 2021 till 28 March 2021 after a spike of coronavirus cases was reported in parts of the province.
The decision was taken in a meeting of the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) held to review the changing COVID-19 situation across the country. The meeting was attended by all educational ministers, including Azad and Jammu and Kashmir (AJ&K) and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB).
Important meeting at the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) today to review the health situation and take decisions regarding educational institutions. Participated in by Ministers from all the provinces, AJK and GB. Following decisions arrived at. 1/2
— Shafqat Mahmood (@Shafqat_Mahmood) March 10, 2021
According to the Federal Education Minister, it has been decided during the NCOC meeting that all public and private schools in seven cities of Punjab will observe spring break and remain closed for a period of two weeks starting 15 March 2020 till 28 March 2021. The main reason behind this decision is the spike in coronavirus cases which has been reported over the last few days.
“Educational Institutions in Sindh and Baluchistan would continue with 50% attendance every day.” stated Shafqat Mehmood in another tweet to clarify that the decision taken in the NCOC meeting only applies to schools in Punjab while all other educational institutions will continue with regular schedule.
2/2 Educational Institutions in Sindh and Baluchistan would continue with 50% attendance every day. In Punjab spring break will start from Monday March 15 to March 28 in the following cities and all education institutions: Lahore, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Multan, 3/3
— Shafqat Mahmood (@Shafqat_Mahmood) March 10, 2021
The Punjab Education Minister Dr Murad Raas also made the announcement on social media. “Spring Break in all Public & Private Schools of Lahore, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Rawalpindi, Multan, Sialkot will be from March 15th, 2021 to March 28th, 2021.” said Murad Raas on Twitter. “All Public & Private schools in rest of the Districts will follow regular schedule.”
ANNOUNCEMENT:
— Murad Raas (@DrMuradPTI) March 10, 2021
Spring Break in all Public & Private Schools of Lahore, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Rawalpindi, Multan, Sialkot will be from March 15th, 2021 to March 28th, 2021. All Public & Private schools in rest of the Districts will follow regular schedule.
Furthermore, the Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Health Dr Faisal Sultan said that it has been decided to extend the ban on indoor activities like restaurant dining and resume the 50 percent work from home policy to avoid another serious outbreak of the COVID-19 infection.
Read more: Punjab restricts co-curricular activates in schools.