Reopening of schools in India | Latest news, updates and guidelines | Photo credit: ANI
Key points
- Unlock 4.0 had allowed the partial reopening of schools for students in classes 9 to 12 as of September 21.
- Despite the relaxation, only 8 states have allowed schools to reopen for students.
- Given the response of parents and their reluctance to send children to school, it is unlikely that there will be many changes to the Unlock 5.0 guidelines regarding reopening schools.
After a long break of more than 5 months, the country’s schools and universities were able to partially reopen as of September 21, 2020. The Ministry of the Interior, MHA, had allowed students in classes 9 to 12 to go voluntarily to schools to seek guidance. With India set to enter Unlocking 5.0 as of October 1, not much change is expected in the guidelines for reopening schools in India. Last update | A decision has not yet been made on the reopening of schools in Karnataka: State Minister of Education
Although the Ministry of Health had published strict guidelines, many states chose not to reopen the school just yet. The states of Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Maharashtra, Karnataka, etc. They opted for schools to remain closed to students until October 5. In terms of states that allowed students voluntarily, attendance was poor, indicating that parents are not yet ready to send their children to school.
Different states reopened schools in accordance with SOPs and Guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health for the reopening of schools. Apart from the same, many even added different provisions as alternate classes, limiting the number of students. Many schools reported low attendance that seemed to improve over the following week.
School reopening: state governments plan to keep schools closed as parents are not convinced
According to one report, almost 80% of the parents of students enrolled in the Prayagraj district of Uttar Pradesh were unwilling to send their children to school. The UP Board had contacted more than 3.42 lakhs of students in classes 9 to 12 who were not in containment zones to understand their opinion on the reopening of the schools. Of the parents interviewed, only about 72,000 or 20 percent of the parents agreed to send their children to school to meet the teachers.
Similar was the case in other states as well. In Karnataka, the government initially allowed schools to reopen. Understanding the sentiment and situation of the pandemic, the government overturned the decision and ordered that no students be allowed.
Reports have further indicated that the The Karnataka government is not yet ready to reopen schools for students. As for neighboring states, Tamil Nadu is set to reopen schools for students in classes 9 to 12 as of October 1. Kerala, which is also negatively affected, had expressed its decision in early August to keep schools closed until October.
Guidelines for School Reopening and Unlocking 5.0: Mandatory Reopening Unlikely
In previous guidelines issued by the MHA, schools could only reopen for students who ‘wanted’ to come to school. It was strictly voluntary and required parental consent. Only 8 states and 1 Union Territory partially reopened schools according to the guidelines.
With sentiment against reopening schools still strong, the guidelines for reopening schools are likely to remain the same in October. As a result, more and more states can be expected to partially reopen schools for students in classes 9-12. For students in classes 1-8, online classes are likely to continue during October at least.
MHA is likely to release Unlock Guidelines 5.0 today. Apart from schools and universities, cinemas have also been closed since March. Reports suggest that states could reopen cinemas starting in October. As for universities, more relaxations are expected in terms of allowing physical classes. The admissions process for undergraduate courses during the first year would start across India from October.
