Schools reopen for class 1 to 5 students in Karnataka, adhering to COVID guidelines

KEY STORY

• Schools in Karnataka re-opened for students of classes 1 to 5 from Monday, strictly adhering to COVID-19 related precautions and guidelines.

• However, several private schools in the city and in different places across the state, have decided to reopen schools for these students only after Deepavali, official sources said.

• Several schools had made special arrangements by decorating premises and classrooms to welcome students.

  “I’m happy to come back to school.

• I had missed meeting friends, as I could rarely come out of home and there was no school.

• All these days I used to see teachers teaching on mobile or laptop, now I can see directly,” a student of class 4 said with joy.

• A teacher said the schools has made all the necessary arrangements by following the SOPs issued by the government, and felt happy welcoming children back.

• With COVID-19 cases declining, Karnataka government in consultation with COVID-19 Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) on October 18 had decided to permit re-opening of schools for students of classes 1 to 5 from October 25, by strictly adhering to COVID-19 appropriate behaviour and SOPs issued by the Department of Primary and Secondary Education.

• Parental consent letter for physical classes is mandatory.

• The government has laid down certain rules such as screening for COVID-19 symptoms on entry, 50 per cent of the capacity in a classroom, provision of hand sanitizers, physical distancing of a minimum of one meter as practically feasible, no crowding, particularly at school entry and exit, and disinfecting classrooms and restrooms daily using 1 percent sodium hypochlorite solution.

CONCLUSION

• Only teachers and staff who have been vaccinated with two doses of COVID-19 vaccines would be allowed in classes 1 to 5, it had said, there shall be additional use of face shield by teachers who are over 50 years of age.

• Primary and Secondary Education Minister B C Nagesh recently said classes will be held for half a day during the first week and had asked parents to send children to school without any fear.

• The government had reopened schools for students of classes 6 to 8 from September 6 and for students of classes 9 to 12 from August 23.