New Delhi: The NCERT, tasked by the Union HRD Ministry to suggest norms of reopening of schools, has said the government should allow secondary and higher secondary students to get back into classrooms tentatively from mid-July if the nationwide lockdown is lifted.
Sources said the NCERT, in its draft recommendations submitted to the ministry, has said that the schools can reopen for class 8 to class 12 after the summer vacations in green and orange zone districts.
The council has also suggested that one-third of students can be allowed in every class on a given day so that physical distance between students can be ensured.
“Depending on how it pans out, educational institutions in other parts can then also be gradually opened at least for older children,” said an NCERT official.
“We are suggesting the government not to let young children in primary and upper primary classes get into schools till things normalize,” he added.
“It is not practical to expect young children to diligently wear face cover all the time, maintain hand hygiene or physical distancing norms diligently.”
The council has also suggested that a brief online training programme for teachers before the reopening of the schools so that they are sensitized properly on all precautions that would be required to be enforced in the changed scenario.
Meanwhile, officials in the school education and literacy department of the HRD ministry said an internal discussion on the recommendations by the NCERT in on but a final advisory for states will be issued only after getting a go ahead with the health ministry and the ministry of home affairs.
“Also, our guidelines will be advisory in nature and states can decide their own protocols based on their risk assessment and preparedness,” said an official.
The recommendations have come even as the Union HRD minister Ramesh Pokhariyal Nishank announced on Monday that the remaining board examinations for classes 10 and 12 will be held between July 1 and 15 at about 15,000 centres across India.
The number of centres, which used to be nearly 3,000 have been significantly increased in order to ensure greater physical distancing between students at all times.