PESHAWAR: After closure for seven months due to coronavirus lockdown, the educational institutions in Pakistan, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, reopened on Tuesday.

The educational institutions have been reopened for the university, college and matriculation students, while the middle and primary schools will also fully reopen in the coming weeks.

However, due to lack of preparation by the education authorities, a high school in Landikotal area of Khyber tribal district remained shut and the students had to sit outside the school waiting for its reopening.

Centennial Model High School in Landikotal, which was earlier used by the KP government as a quarantine centre for suspected coronavirus patients, has not been made fully functional, while the students were asked to come to the school on Tuesday.

Local sources said while quoting some students that some of the classrooms of Centennial Model High School are still locked as the luggage and equipment of quarantine centre is still lying there. They said the equipment has not been removed and no sanitation has been carried out in the school. The students had to sit outside the school on Tuesday and they did not know when the situation will improve.

The students and their parents fear that lack of any sanitisation in the school will expose the students to the threat of coronavirus. The KP government had already issued directions for sanitisation of schools prior to its reopening and also issued other standard operating procedures (SOP) to avoid the spread of coronavirus. But it was observed that these SOPs were not followed in letter and spirit.

The students of Centennial Model High School demanded the government to immediately remove the equipment of quarantine centre from their classrooms. They said chlorine spray and other sanitisation measures must be carried out in all the classrooms. They said the students must be provided an enabling environment in which they could continue their academic activities without any trouble.

The students said their seven months have already been wasted as there is a huge difference between regular education in schools and that in homes. They said the government should now make sure that the academic activities are no longer disturbed and provide enabling atmosphere for students to make up for the lost time.