As Pakistan schools set to reopen, concerns over imposing coronavirus health guidelines grow

A security guard tells students that their school is closed by authorities to control spread of COVID-19 coronavirus, in Lahore on March 14, 2020. (AP/File)
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Updated 29 August 2020
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As Pakistan schools set to reopen, concerns over imposing coronavirus health guidelines grow

  • Pakistan shut down schools and universities in March to stem the spread of the coronavirus
  • Government has said educational institutes may reopen on September 15 if coronavirus case numbers remain low

LAHORE: Private schools in the Pakistani cities of Lahore and Islamabad are still undecided over whether to reopen in September as per government instructions, several administrators said this week, citing apprehensions over safety amid rising concerns about the capacity to enforce coronavirus standard operating procedures.
Pakistan, which had recorded 295,053 COVID-19 infections and 6,283 deaths by August 28, shut down schools and universities in March to stem the spread of the coronavirus. Cases have since significantly decreased, prompting the government to announce that all educational institutes would reopen on September 15 if case numbers remained low.
A final decision on the issue is expected on September 7 but the stakes are rising for educators and families in the face of emerging research that shows children could be a risk for spreading the new coronavirus.
Several large studies have shown the vast majority of children who contract COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, have milder illness than adults. But more recent studies are starting to show how contagious infected children, even those with no symptoms, might be.
“Until things are not to our level of satisfaction, we will not resume physical classes, even if other schools do,” a senior administrator at Ecole des Lumieres, a French-American institute in Islamabad, told Arab News, declining to be named. “We are not taking this lightly. Students are not guinea pigs.”
Another private institute in  Lahore, the Learning Alliance, also said it was still mulling options.
“The school reopening is contingent on how the situation around the COVID-19 pandemic unfolds,” a representative for the school told Arab News via email. “The health and safety of our students and teachers is our top most priority, therefore, we will only open following strict safety protocols as per international standards.”




Chairs marked for parents to submit their children’s holiday homework at a school in Lahore, Pakistan on Aug. 24, 2020. (AN photo by Natasha Zai)

On their part, provincial governments have put out health and safety guidelines for schools to follow when they reopen.
In Punjab province, of which Lahore is the capital, school administrations have been ordered to ensure that children wash their hands frequently, wear face masks and maintain a distance of six feet from each other. Classrooms are to be regularly disinfected, the occupancy of hostels is to be reduced to 30 percent and schools transportation will only be allowed to be half full, the Punjab government has said.
The All Pakistan Private Schools’ Federation, which represents all 207,000 private schools in the country, is confident the official guidelines are enforceable.
“I do think they are implementable to quite an extent,” Kashif Mirza, the Federation’s president, told Arab News. “To maintain social distance, we have asked schools to divide classes between morning and afternoon sessions.”




A view of a school bathroom being renovated to comply with social distancing requirements at a school in Lahore, Pakistan, on Aug. 24, 2020. (AN photo by Natasha Zai)

Mirza said the most popular proposal for the new academic year was to hold classes in shifts -- one session from 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and another from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., with no breaks in between.
The Federation has also decided that no school would be allowed to take disciplinary action against children whose parents did not allow them to return to school.
But Mirza said the real concern for the government was public schools, where applying standard operating procedures would be much harder given limited space and fewer resources.
Shafqat Mahmood, the minister for education, said the government could not make a distinction between high- and low-income schools.
“We cannot make separate health guidelines for income brackets,” he told Arab News. “I understand that [smaller schools] will have a harder time implementing the guidelines, but the government cannot relax [health] restrictions for low-income schools."
He agreed that enforcing SOPs would push up the cost for public schools, as they would have to regularly disinfect campuses and ensure that students wore face masks and sanitized their hands.
“Cost is definitely an issue,” Mahmood said. “We are calculating how much money will be required. In some cases, the government may consider helping the schools, but we are still working out details.”




An online class being conducted at the Laureate School System in Lahore, Pakistan, on Aug. 24, 2020. (AN photo by Natasha Zia)

The chairman of Laureate, a small private school in Lahore, said he expected his costs to double.
“We will need to hire more teachers and other staff,” Hafiz Abdul Ghafoor said. “Social distancing in small campuses will be a big problem.”
But health experts say the fear of schools becoming breeding grounds for the virus will stick for a few years, or at least until a vaccine became widely available, but life had to return to normalcy for both students and parents.
“I think now is the right time to open schools,” Dr. Javed Akram, a senior doctor in Punjab, told Arab News, “but only with proper standard operating procedures.”


Pakistan parliament approves bills to extend tenure of services chiefs to five years

Updated 04 November 2024
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Pakistan parliament approves bills to extend tenure of services chiefs to five years

  • Extension in services of army, navy and air force chiefs follows controversial amendments to the constitution last month
  • The opposition PTI party condemns the amendments for changing Pakistan “from a democracy into a monarchy”

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s National Assembly and Senate on Monday approved bills to extend the tenure of the army, navy, and air force chiefs from three to five years, amid protests by the opposition benches. 

The office of the army chief is considered to be the most powerful in the country, with the army having ruled Pakistan for almost half of its 75-year history. Even when not directly in power, the army is considered to be the invisible guiding hand in politics and holds considerable sway in internal security, foreign policy, and economic affairs, among other domains. 

Six bills were passed by the upper and lower houses on Monday evening, including one to increase the term of the services chiefs.

“In the said Act, in section 8A, in sub-section (1), for the expression “three (03)” the word “five (05)” shall be substituted,” read the bill, seeking to amend the Pakistan Army Act, 1952.

Similar bills were passed to increase the duration of the country’s naval and air force chiefs to five years also. 

“The purpose of these amendments are to make consistent the Pakistan Army Act, 1952 (XXXIX of 1952) The Pakistan Navy Ordinance, 1961 (Ordinance No. XXXV of 1961) and The Pakistan Air Force Act, 1953 (VI of 1953) with the maximum tenure of the Chief of the Army Staff, the Chief of the Naval Staff and the Chief of the Air Staff and to make consequential amendments for uniformity in the aforementioned laws.” 

Speaking outside parliament, the chairman of the opposition PTI party, Gohar Ali Khan, said:

“Today, democracy has been changed into a monarchy.”

Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, Omar Ayub Khan, said “modifying the service chiefs’ tenure is not a good thing for the country and the armed forces.”

The passage of the new bills follows controversial amendments made to the constitution last month, granting lawmakers the authority to nominate the chief justice of Pakistan, who previously used to be automatically appointed according to the principle of seniority.

The amendments allowed the government to bypass the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court, Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, and appoint Justice Yahya Afridi as the country’s top judge, replacing former chief justice Qazi Faez Isa. 

The opposition and the legal fraternity had opposed the amendments, arguing that they were aimed at granting more power to the executive in making judicial appointments and curtailing the independence of the judiciary. The government denies this.


Pakistani forces kill six militants in shootouts near border with Afghanistan — military

Updated 04 November 2024
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Pakistani forces kill six militants in shootouts near border with Afghanistan — military

  • Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan, has witnessed a number of attacks recently
  • Pakistan blames the surge in militancy on militants operating out of Afghanistan, Kabul denies the allegations

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani security forces have killed six militants in two separate engagements in the country’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, the Pakistani military said on Monday.
A militant was killed in an exchange of fire during an intelligence-based operation in North Waziristan’s Dosali area, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing.
In the second incident, Pakistani forces intercepted a group of militants while infiltrating the country’s border with Afghanistan in the South Waziristan district. Five militants were killed as a result.
“Pakistan has consistently been asking Interim Afghan Government to ensure effective border management on their side of the border,” the ISPR said in a statement.
“Interim Afghan Government is expected to fulfil its obligations and deny the use of Afghan soil by Khwarij [militants] for perpetuating acts of terrorism against Pakistan.”
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which borders Afghanistan, has witnessed a number of attacks by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other militant groups that targeted security forces convoys and check posts, besides targeted killings and kidnappings of law enforcers and government officials in recent months.
Pakistan has frequently accused neighboring Afghanistan of sheltering and supporting militant groups, urging the Taliban administration in Kabul to prevent its territory from being used by armed factions to launch cross-border attacks.
Afghan officials, however, deny involvement, insisting Pakistan’s security issues are an internal matter of Islamabad.
 


Pakistan Navy test-fires ship-launched ballistic missile ranging 350 kilometers

Updated 04 November 2024
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Pakistan Navy test-fires ship-launched ballistic missile ranging 350 kilometers

  • The missile is capable of striking land and sea targets with ‘high precision’
  • Pakistan, India consider their missile programs as deterrent against each other

KARACHI: Pakistan Navy has successfully test-fired a ship-launched ballistic missile having a range of 350 km and capable of striking both land and sea targets, it said on Monday.
Pakistan sees its missile development as a deterrent against nuclear-armed arch-foe India. Both countries have fought multiple wars since their independence from Britain in 1947.
The two South Asian neighbors have long been developing missiles of varying ranges in a bid to ensure deterrence against possible attacks from each other, with analysts often warning these developments could push the region into an arms race.
“Pakistan Navy conducted a successful flight test of an indigenously developed ship-launched ballistic missile,” the Directorate General of Public Relations (DGPR) of Pakistan Navy said in a statement.
“The weapon system with 350km range is capable of engaging land and sea targets with high precision.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikldB3jieWo
The flight test of the weapon system, equipped with a state-of-the-art navigation system and maneuverability features, was witnessed by Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Naveed Ashraf, senior naval officers, scientists and engineers.
President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir and Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Zaheer Ahmad Babar Sidhu congratulated the participating navy units and scientists on the development.
 
 


Qatar investment team due in Pakistan this month, PM Sharif says after Doha visit

Updated 04 November 2024
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Qatar investment team due in Pakistan this month, PM Sharif says after Doha visit

  • The statement comes days after Sharif visited Qatar seeking to bolster economic cooperation between both nations
  • Before arriving in Doha, Sharif attended the Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh and met the Saudi Crown Prince

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Monday a team of the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) will visit Pakistan this month to set up an information technology (IT) park in the South Asian country.
The statement came days after Sharif visited Qatar while seeking to bolster economic cooperation amid Pakistan’s efforts to boost foreign investment to stabilize its frail $350 billion economy.
Before arriving in Doha, Sharif attended the Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where he discussed trade and investment with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Speaking at a meeting of his cabinet, Sharif said a QIA team will visit Pakistan this month, while its chief of Asia-Pacific & Africa Investments, Faisal Bin Thani Al Thani, will also arrive in Islamabad by the end of this month.
“Qatar emir said the same thing. They also suggested setting up an IT park here [in Pakistan],” Sharif told his cabinet members in televised comments.
During his visit, Sharif led delegation-level talks with the Qatari emir before holding a separate meeting with him to discuss a wide array of issues.
“The leaders reviewed the entire spectrum of Pakistan-Qatar relations, exploring potential avenues for enhanced cooperation in trade, potential areas of investment, energy, and culture,” Sharif’s office said last week.
He also met a delegation of the Qatar Businessmen Association (QBA) and invited them to invest in Pakistan’s energy, infrastructure and technology sectors.
The developments came amid Pakistan’s attempts to increase trade and foreign investment after it narrowly escaped a default last year by securing a last-gasp $3 billion financial assistance package from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The South Asian country has since sought to promote closer economic ties with regional and international allies to bolster its fragile economy, which has been suffering from a prolonged macroeconomic crisis.
 


Pakistan central bank cuts key rate by 250 bps to 15%

Updated 04 November 2024
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Pakistan central bank cuts key rate by 250 bps to 15%

  • Monday’s move follows cuts of 150 bps in June, 100 in July and 200 in September
  • It takes the total policy rate cuts in the country to 700 bps in under five months

KARACHI: Pakistan’s central bank cut its key policy rate by 250 basis points to 15 percent on Monday, it said in a statement, for a fourth straight reduction since June, as the country keeps up efforts to revive a sluggish economy with inflation easing.
Most respondents in a Reuters poll last week expected a cut of 200 bps after inflation moved down sharply from a multi-decade high of nearly 40 percent in May 2023, saying reductions were needed to bolster growth.
Average consumer price index inflation in the South Asian country is 8.7 percent in the current financial year, which started in July, the statistics bureau says. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) expects inflation to average 9.5 percent for the year ending June.
Monday’s move follows cuts of 150 bps in June, 100 bps in July, and 200 in September that have taken the rate from an all-time high of 22 percent, set in June 2023 and left unchanged for a year. It takes the total cuts to 700 bps in under five months.
October inflation came in at 7.2 percent, slightly above the government’s expectation of 6 percent to 7 percent. The finance ministry expects inflation to slow further to 5.5 percent to 6.5 percent in November.
However, inflation could pick up again in 2025, driven by electricity and gas price increases after a new $7-billion IMF bailout, and the potential impact of taxes on the retail, wholesale and the farm sector announced in the June budget to take effect in January 2025, some analysts say.