Educational institutions reopened across Pakistan on Tuesday, ending a six-month-long break due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Ministry of Education announced that in the first phase of reopening, all higher education institutions - from class nine to 12 and above - will resume classes from Tuesday, reports The Express Tribune.

In the second phase, secondary schools will reopen and in the third phase, primary schools will resume.

According to the standard operating procedures (SOPs) issued by the government, masks are mandatory for all students and teachers, while the administration must ensure the availability of sanitisers at the gate.

The government's guidelines state that there will be no morning assembly and the temperature of the students will be checked before entering the classrooms.

In addition, students must ensure a safe distance between chairs in the classrooms, while foolproof security arrangements were made at the main gates of all the institutions.

On September 7, according to a joint decision of the federal and provincial governments, the authorities decided to reopen the educational institutions in phases.

(IANS)