Schools are set to reopen, partially, after nearly six months of lockdown. They were closed for a long time to prevent the Coronavirus pandemic from spreading.
Under the unlock 4.0 guidelines, the Centre has issued notifications for schools that can now partially reopen from September 21, for classes 9 to 12. But, the final decision regarding the reopening of schools will be taken by the state government.
It will not be like regular classes. According to the Health Ministry guidelines, the decision to attend the classes is voluntary for students, and written consent of parents will be required. Teacher-students interaction must be organized in a staggered manner. Online classes, however, will continue to happen as offline classes aren’t mandatory.
Haryana, Punjab, Chandigarh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Assam, Karnataka, have decided to reopen the schools partially. On the other hand, Maharashtra, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, West Bengal, Uttarakhand, will not reopen the schools, at least till the end of September 2020.
Schools, colleges, coaching institutions will continue to remain shut till, at least, September 30. Schools located in containment zones will continue to be shut.
Before the reopening, the State government has prescribed strict guidelines and Standard Operating Procedures (SOP’S) to follow in order to ensure students and teachers’ safety.
Some guidelines issued by the Health Ministry for the partial reopening of schools include:
- Sharing of pencils, notebook, water bottle, etc. is not allowed anymore.
- Prohibition of assembly and sports.
- The entry of symptomatic persons is not allowed.
Schools that were used as a quarantine centre will be properly sanitized to ensure the proper safety of students.