Education ministry orders playgrounds open on holidays, steps up dengue prevention
The directives were announced today through separate notifications issued by the Secondary and Higher Education Division
The Ministry of Education has directed the Secondary and Higher Education Division to implement a set of measures, including keeping playgrounds at educational institutions open on holidays and ensuring cleanliness to prevent dengue.
The directives were issued today (25 March) through separate notifications outlining actions to be taken nationwide.
According to one notification, existing playgrounds at educational institutions across the country must be preserved and kept open for students as well as local children and adolescents after institutional hours and on holidays.
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The relevant authorities have been asked to take necessary steps to implement the directive.
The ministry has also instructed that sports – including football, cricket, chess, karate, volleyball, badminton, athletics and swimming – be incorporated into the national curriculum from Class IV to promote regular physical activity among students.
In a separate directive on cleanliness, educational institutions have been asked to ensure overall sanitation before reopening after the Eid-ul-Fitr holidays.
The ministry also called for strengthened monitoring of daily cleaning activities, weekly cleanliness drives involving teachers and students, and the continuation of tree plantation and gardening initiatives on campuses.
Amid rising dengue incidence, the ministry noted that stagnant water, abandoned containers and accumulated waste during prolonged closures could become breeding grounds for Aedes mosquitoes.
Authorities have been instructed to conduct special cleaning drives before reopening after Eid, remove stagnant water and take necessary measures to eliminate mosquito breeding sites.
