All primary schools across the country will reopen from September 30, Federal Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood said. Federal Minister for Education Shafqat Mahmood, after attending a meeting at the National Command Operation Centre (NCOC), said the decision to reopen schools has been taken with consensus. “We took the decision after we saw 0.8% positive rate after reopening educational institutes in the country,” the minister said, adding that the authorities will continue to monitor the situation and any carelessness in the implementation of the COVID-19 SOPs will be dealt with sternly. The federal education minister assured the parents that the government took the step after meticulous research and inspection. Shafqat Mahmood further said that it was the collective effort of parents, administrators and teachers that allowed the government to take the decision. The minister said that a number of schools in multiple parts of the country have been closed down over their failure to follow coronavirus SOPs issued by the government.