Govt not planning to close educational institutions due to smog: Shafqat Mahmood

LAHORE: The government on Saturday announced that it was not closing educational institutions in the country due to smog as students had already “missed a lot” during the coronavirus pandemic.

Smog has again blanketed many parts of Punjab, particularly Lahore, and citizens are becoming desperate. The megacity of nearly 11 million people near the border with India remains a cultural epicentre. But Lahore now regularly ranks among the worst cities in the world for air pollution — a mixture of low-grade diesel fumes, smoke from seasonal crop burn-off, and colder winter temperatures coalescing into stagnant clouds.

Read more: ‘We thought he had Covid but it was smog’: Life in polluted Pakistan

New Delhi has closed schools until the end of the month because of its pollution woes, and now Pakistani parents of school-going children are also demanding the same from the government as their kids suffer from red eyes and breathing problems.

“We are not going to close schools due to smog as the schools were already closed due to Covid for 1.5 years following which education in Pakistan has already suffered a lot,” Federal Minister for Education Shafqat Mahmood told the media outside the National College of Arts (NCA) as he inaugurated a digital lab, and laid the foundation stone of a new graduate block.

Shafqat said the inter-provinces education ministers’ meeting had also decided to take all exams, including O and A-level exams, as per schedule.

Govt to open NCA campuses 

“During the recent joint session of the parliament, the National College of Arts Institution Bill, 2021, was passed amid opposition criticism. This bill will pave the way for us [government] to open more campuses of this prestigious institution across the country that has produced the best graduates who later made a name for themselves, taking Pakistan at the international arena,” he added.

“I want to congratulate the students, faculty, principal, and all of you on the passage of the NCA Institution bill as your effort finally paid off,” said Shafqat.

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The minister also appreciated the efforts of NCA’s Principal, Dr Murtaza Jafri, for promoting the arts at national and international levels.

Highlighting the benefit of the ‘Insaf Sehat Card’, Shafqat said that the programme would benefit the masses in getting free medical treatment of up to Rs1 million.

“We will continue the journey of development and progress under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan as different sectors are showing positive trends already,” he noted.