Pictures: Schools and colleges reopen in Pakistan after six months

Thousands of schools and colleges across Pakistan reopened from Tuesday, ending a six-month long closure due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Students wearing face masks to prevent the spread of coronavirus, pray prior to go their classrooms at a school, in Karachi.

A health worker taking COVID-19 Saliva test of a teaching staff at the Islamabad Model College for Boys sector G6/3, in Islamabad. Last week, the World Health Organization (WHO) praised Pakistan and some other countries who managed the coronavirus crisis well and said world can learn from these countries.

Teachers disinfect hands of students upon their arrival at a school, in Lahore. Pakistani officials welcomed millions of children back to school following educational institutions reopened on Tuesday in the country amid a steady decline in coronavirus deaths and infections.

According to the Pakistani Education Ministry, all higher education institutions in the country will reopen from Sept. 15, whereas students in grade nine to 12 will also be returning to school on the same day.

Masks will be mandatory for all teachers and students, while schools, colleges, and university administrations will ensure sensitizers at the entry gates.

It has also been decided that in the current academic session 2020-21, winter vacation will be used for remedial classes owing to prolonged school closures for the last six-and-a-half months.

Students wearing face masks to prevent the spread of coronavirus, attend their classrooms at a school, in Islamabad, Pakistan. Pakistani officials welcomed millions of children back to school following educational institutions reopened on Tuesday in the country amid a steady decline in coronavirus deaths and infections.

It has been decided there will be neither an off-day on Saturday, nor the usual 10-day winter vacation in the current academic year.. Above, a worker checks body temperature of student wearing face masks to prevent the upon her arrival at a school, in Islamabad.

We welcome millions of children back to school. It is our priority & collective responsibility to ensure that every child can go to school safely to learn. We have worked to ensure that school operations are aligned with public health safety rules on "COVID19," Prime Minister Imran Khan tweeted.

Pakistan is among a handful of countries to have witnessed a dramatic drop in the number of daily coronavirus cases, from nearly 7,000 to 200 over the past few months, with fatalities from the novel virus hovering in single digits each day. Above, an official checks the body temperature of students at an entry point to Benazir Bhutto Women University for an examination in Peshawar.

A worker sanitize shoe of a student upon her arrival at a school, in Lahore.

The number of students in a class will be reduced, which means half of the students will attend the session one day and the other half on the other day.

Social distancing and washing hands should be strictly implemented. Sanitizers to be installed in schools and students should be encouraged to use them repeatedly.