NEW DELHI: As Covid-19 cases show a declining trend across the country, the central government on Thursday issued modified guidelines for reopening schools. According to the new guidelines, states and Union Territories can decide whether schools are required to take parents’ consent for allowing students to attend physical classes. However, the guidelines have asked parents to consent if states/UTs request it. The previous guidelines issued in December following extensive vaccination coverage said consent from parents was necessary for students to attend schools.
In Delhi and eight other states/UTs, schools are still shut. But as many as 11 states have re-opened schools while 16 have partially opened them, said Sweety Changsan, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Education, at the Health Ministry’s weekly media briefing on the Covid-19 situation.
“There are 268 districts where the positivity is below 5 per cent. And clearly, these districts can move in the direction of non-Covid care and also in the direction of other economic activities as well as school reopening,” Niti Ayog Member (Health) V K Paul said.
In Delhi, amind growing chorus for reopening on reopening of educational institutes, the DDMA will take a call in its meeting on Friday. The new SOP for school reopening issued by the Ministry of Education directed the states to ensure a smooth transition of students from home-based schooling to formal schooling by preparing and implementing a school readiness module or bridge course in the classroom.
To compensate for learning loss, the guidelines also suggested identification of children based on their learning levels so that teachers can focus on students who need additional support. It has also been suggested in the SOP that instead of using ‘social distancing’, the phrase ‘physical distancing’ should be used. Necessary precautions may be taken regarding the children with comorbidities, it said.
Back to school for some, while others continue online classes
As on Thursday, 11 states have reopened schools, while nine have not. In 16 states and UTs, schools have been partially opened
Open: Arunachal Pradesh, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Sikkim, Karnataka, Telangana, Tripura, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Goa, Manipur
Partially Open: Assam, Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Kerala, Gujarat, West Bengal, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Daman & Diu-Dadar & Nagar Haveli
Closed: Delhi, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Jharkhand, Odisha, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Puducherry
Among big states, Maharashtra is the only one where 100 teaching staff are vaccinated. In Delhi 98.45% teaching staff and 98.49% non-teaching staff are vaccinated.