Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said that schools for classes 1 to 8 in the state will remain closed until March 31, 2021, in light of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
The CM Madhya Pradesh also reported that no testing would be conducted for students in these classes this academic year and that they would be assessed based on their project work.
Shivraj Singh Chouhan held a School Education Department review meeting on Friday during which it was discussed.
“There will be no regular classes for students in classes 1 through 8 in the state until March 31, 2021. There will be no tests for students in classes 1 through 8 and they will be evaluated based on project work.” Chouhan was quoted as saying in an official statement.
“Schools for Classes 10 and 12 will resume shortly for Board examinations. But social distancing and other norms will be fully observed in classrooms to prevent the spread of COVID-19,” added the CM Madhya Pradesh.
Students in classes 9 and 11 will be called to schools once or twice a week, Chouhan added.
Earlier, the state’s Minister of School Education, Inder Singh Parmar, had told the news agency PTI that the state has partially reopened schools since Sept. 21 for classes 9-12 with limited students amid strict adherence to coronavirus protocols.
He said the government could consider allowing more of these students to attend classes gradually.
There are around 1.50 lakhs of schools, including private ones, across the state.
Schools across the country were closed in March to slow the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic and partially reopened in some states as of October 15. However, some states decided to keep them closed in light of an increase in infections.
With contributions from the agency
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