Schools to reopen in these states from September 21:Here’s the List of states which are resuming classes |when and how

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Delhi, Gujarat, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal have announced that they will not allow classes to resume from Monday.

• A staff member sprays disinfectant on benches ahead of the reopening of schools from Monday during Unlock 4.0.

• Here’s what states have decided on reopening of schools from Monday:

1.Karnataka

• The state government has prohibited students of class 9 to 12 from visiting schools and pre-university colleges to meet teachers amid the coronavirus pandemic. It said in a statement that students were earlier allowed by the education department after Covid-19 cases in the state had come down. However, as the pandemic continues to rage the state, the state government felt it was not safe to call students to colleges or schools to meet teachers, it said.

2.Andhra Pradesh

• Schools in Andhra Pradesh are set to resume normal classes from Monday for students of Classes 9 to 12.

3.Assam

• High and higher secondary schools in Assam are set to reopen.From Monday, classes will resume for students between graded 9 and 12 for the next 15 days following which the situation will be reviewed.

4.Bihar

• Sanjay Kumar, principal secretary (education), has clarified that as per MHA guidelines, all schools, colleges and coaching institutes will remain closed till September 30.

5.Delhi

• All schools in the Capital will continue to remain closed till October 5 in view of the rising number of the cases, the Delhi government has said. It had said earlier that it would allow senior students to come to schools if they need any guidance from their teachers. But now the government has made it clear that there will be no partial reopening of the schools — not for any student.

• School principals are authorised to call “staff as per requirement for smooth conduct of online classes or any other work”, it said.

6.Haryana

• The Directorate of School Education has directed all district education officers to ensure that SOPs are in place for the partial reopening of schools for students of Classes 9 to 12 from Monday.

• In a letter, the department has asked all district education officers to ensure that the teachers get a Covid-19 test and download the Aarogya Setu app on their phones.

• Attendance is not compulsory and students can go on a voluntary basis to clear any doubts related to their course.“Students will have to bring written consent from their parents before coming to school.”

7.Jammu and Kashmir

• Schools will reopen in the Union territory, however, attendance of students will be on a voluntary basis.

• Only 50% of the staff will report every day until Class 8 and students of classes 9, 10 11, and 12 can come to school on a voluntary basis with 50% attendance. Officials have said parents can decide whether they will allow their children to attend the classes. The authorities have further stated that online classes and digital education activities will continue as usual.

8.Punjab

• The Punjab government has allowed the opening of higher education institutions from September 21 for PhD scholars and postgraduate students pursuing technical and professional courses requiring experimental work.

• Satish Chandra, special chief secretary (home), said in an official statement, said 50 per cent of the teaching and non-teaching staff will be allowed to attend schools at a time for online teaching/telecounselling and related work in areas outside the containment zones, only as per the standard operating procedures (SOPs) issued on September 8 by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

CONCLUSION

Meanwhile, to reduce the burden of children, the TN government has also reduced the school syllabus for the academic year 2020-2021 by about 40 percent, following the recommendation of the expert committee.