Schools outside of the containment zones will reopen with strict Covid-19 regulations in effect starting tomorrow. Previously, the Ministry of the Interior (MHA) had published detailed guidelines for the reopening of schools and colleges in the country in a phased manner, starting from October 15 to October 15. States have the authority to decide whether they want to resume schools or not. While many states, including Delhi, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, and Maharashtra, have decided not to reopen schools, others such as Punjab and Uttar Pradesh have announced the reopening of schools.
While the schools had partially reopened, voluntarily for classes 9-12 on September 21 during Unlock 4.
Here’s what the states have decided about reopening schools:
Delhi
The Delhi government has decided to maintain the status quo on school closings until October 31, after which a review of the situation will take place.
Punjab
The Punjab government has issued new guidelines for the opening of schools from October 15. According to the new notice issued by the Punjab government, initially only classes 9 to 12 will be allowed and no more than 20 students will be allowed per section.
Uttar Pradesh
The Uttar Pradesh government has announced that schools outside the containment zones will reopen from October 19 for students in classes 9-12.
Karnataka
The Karnataka government has said it is in no rush to reopen schools and will accept a call on the matter after evaluating all aspects.
Chhattisgarh
The Chhattisgarh government has said schools in the state will continue to be closed until new orders are issued in light of the pandemic.
Maharashtra
The Maharashtra government has said it will assess the COVID-19 situation after Diwali and until then schools will remain closed. “Schools will not reopen in Maharashtra until the end of Diwali. After Diwali, Senior Minister Uddhav Thackeray will assess the situation before making any decisions,” said Senior Deputy Minister Ajit Pawar.
Gujarat
The Gujarat government has also said that it is likely to consider reopening schools only after Diwali.
Andhra Pradesh
The Andhra Pradesh government has also decided not to resume normal classes until 2 November.
west bengal
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has said that the decision on reopening the schools will be made only after mid-November.
Guidelines for opening schools, colleges, educational institutions and training institutions
1) For the reopening of schools and training institutions, state / UT governments have had the flexibility to make a decision after October 15, 2020, on a graduated basis. The decision will be made in consultation with the leadership of the respective school / institution, based on their assessment of the situation, and subject to the following conditions:
2) Online / distance learning will continue to be the preferred mode of teaching and will be encouraged.
3) When schools offer classes online and some students prefer to attend classes online rather than physically attending school, they may be allowed to do so.
4) Students may attend schools / institutions only with the written consent of the parents.
5) Attendance must not be enforced and must depend entirely on parental consent.
6) States / UTs will prepare their own SOP regarding health and safety precautions for the reopening of schools / institutions based on the SOP that will be issued by the Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSEL), Ministry of Education, Government of the India, keeping local requirements. given.
7) Schools, which can open, must compulsorily follow the SOP issued by the State / UT Departments of Education.
8) Department of Higher Education (DHE), the Ministry of Education can make a decision on the timing of the opening of colleges / institutions of higher education, in consultation with the Ministry of the Interior (MHA), based on the assessment of the situation . Online / distance learning will continue to be the preferred mode of teaching and will be encouraged.
10) However, higher education institutions only for research academics (Ph.D) and science and technology graduate students requiring laboratory / experimental work will be able to open as of October 15, 2020, as stated in :
-For centrally funded institutions of higher education, the director of the institution will ensure that there is a genuine requirement of academic researchers (PhDs) and graduate students in science and technology for laboratory / experimental work.
-For all other higher education institutions, for example, state universities, private universities, etc., they can be opened only for academic researchers (doctorates) and graduate students in science and technology that require laboratory / experimental work according to the decision that should take the respective state governments / UT.
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