Asian universities close again amid new coronavirus wave
Amid a new COVID-19 wave in South and Southeast Asia and fears of a highly transmissible deadly variant from India that has devastated that country and overwhelmed the Indian health system, universities in countries neighbouring India have reversed plans to re-open universities and colleges and brought in new lockdowns.
Students in countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan now fear they face another disrupted academic year and lost education, saying their governments have barely tackled problems in accessing online education experienced during the first wave. And they say universities are no better prepared than last year to cope with the new wave, despite plans to vaccinate students and provide other facilities.
Corona closing down country
April 28, 2021
ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Interior announced fresh restrictions across the country on Tuesday, which includes a complete ban on tourism from May 8-16 as 142 more people lost their lives and 4,400 contracted the contagion in just the last 24 hours.
A meeting of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) was held Tuesday where important decisions were taken by the body. A press release issued by the ministry announced that the NCOC had decided to ban tourism from May 8-16. Closure of tourist resorts, public parks and hotels in/around tourist spots will remain closed, reads the press release. The NCOC announced ban on inter-provincial and inter-city transport will also remain during the Eid holidays however, the people of Gilgit-Baltistan will be allowed to travel back to their areas during the holidays.
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ISLAMABAD: In view of the prevailing Covid-19 situation in the country, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Tuesday decided to postpone matric, intermediate and Cambridge exams.
Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood announced that all board exams had been postponed till June 15 and those of Cambridge till the last quarter of the current year.
The NCOC also made it clear that the government would not hesitate to seal more areas in the next few days if other interventions did not work.
Pakistan Postpones Exams Till June 15 Amidst Third Wave of Pandemic
Pakistan Postpones Exams Till June 15 Amidst Third Wave of Pandemic
Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood. YouTube
Education minister says sole exception will be A2 students, who risk wasting a year if they defer their exams
Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood on Tuesday announced that all examinations, including Cambridge International’s ongoing O/A-Level exams, will be postponed until June 15 in light of the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic.
Flanked by Special Assistant to the P.M. on Health Dr. Faisal Sultan, he told a press conference that from April 18 when the last meeting of the education ministry had been held till now, the number of coronavirus cases across Pakistan had rapidly increased. To curb its spread, he said the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) had decided to postpone all exams until June 15. The sole exception, he said, would be students of A2, who must sit the examinations now