Maharashtra’s education department will allow schools to reopen for classes 5-8 only after obtaining approval from the state health department, School Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad said on Wednesday.
Last month, the state government had authorized the district collectors and local authorities to decide on the reopening of the schools, which have been closed since March this year due to the Covid-19-induced closure, for classes 9 to 12 depending on the pandemic situation in your areas.
“The school education department will discuss the issue of reopening schools with the public health department.
Once we get their approval, we will resume classes, ”Gaikwad told reporters.
Major cities in the state, including Mumbai, Mumbai suburbs, Thane, Pune and Nashik, will be notified about the reopening of schools only after consulting with the state’s Ministry of Public Health, he said.
“We are consulting with parents and local officials in this regard. Local officials have also performed a large number of RT-PCR tests on teachers and non-teaching staff before reopening the schools, ”Gaikwad said.
At least three lakhs of students in classes 9 to 12 have been attending schools in 25 districts of the state since Nov. 23, the minister said, adding that the number has risen to five lakhs according to a review conducted last week.
As of Tuesday, the total number of Covid-19 cases in Maharashtra was 18,59,367, including 47,827 deaths.
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