BENGALURU: The department of public instruction on Monday released protocols for the reopening of classes 9 and 10 from August 23 in districts with less than 2 percent Covid positivity rate. Students will have half-a-day classes for the initial days and thereafter opening of the lower classes will be decided upon.
Offline classes are not compulsory for students. They can attend online or alternative medium of classes. Schools are expected to make arrangements for an online or alternative mode of teaching too for students.
Parents need to sign a consent letter when sending their wards in which they will undersign that child does not have Covid symptoms. Students will get their lunch from home. Schools will arrange for warm drinking water.
Students will be split into groups of 15-20 and classes will be conducted for them in batches.
After lunch hours, high school teachers will focus on teaching class 8 students through alternative modes as per the circular issued on June 10.
For districts with a more than 2% positivity rate, schools, aided, unaided, and government-run will follow the teaching process prescribed by the department on June 10. The department has drawn out a timetable for offline classes where classes start at 10 am and end by 12:30 pm.
All students will be subject to continuous and comprehensive evaluation this year by which, their academic progress will be recorded from time to time on the department portal. This will allow declaration of results in an inevitable situation.
SOPs for reopening
The department of State Educational Research and Training on Monday issued standard operating procedures to be followed when high schools reopen to class 9,10 students on August 23.
Schools are asked to maintain cleanliness, as week before the reopening of classes. For instance, entire compound, main gate, stairs, railings, lifts etc should be cleaned of any dust and sanitised for COVID. Water is to be drained from the overhead tanks and sumps, they need to be cleaned thoroughly and then dried for a day before filling water again. Toilets and urinals are to be cleaned with hypochlorite solution. Rooms in the building including cooking rooms
forAkshara Dasoha programme and furniture along with windows and doors is expected to be sanitised
With it being the monsoon season, schools are asked to refrain from teaching students in dilapidated rooms, and action must be taken to fix them.
Students must maintain a 3-6 feet distance from each other when entering the school, and boxes will be marked for the same. The demarcations will be till the classrooms. Social distancing must be maintained in the campus by the teachers and head teacher. This will be in labs, library, indoor play areas, etc. Entry and exit should be scheduled well, and demarcated. All doors should be kept open to avoid congestion during entry and exit. Posters are to be pasted in school to remind students about social distancing.
A teacher will be made the nodal officer for overseeing the following of protocols in the school. She/he will file a daily report with the principal.
Each bench in the classroom will have at most two students, and benches will be distanced from each other.
Hand sanitisers or soaps should be made available at entry and students will be thermal scanned for temperature. Those with symptoms will be sent to the isolation room, and sent home after contacting parents.In coordination with the health department, regular checkups should take place. Students health will be enquired about each day.
Students are asked to carry their own food boxes. As per requirement, schools are expected to provide hot drinking water. Students are discouraged from touching dusters, chalks, books, and each other.
Washing hand with soap and drying them with a napkin should be encouraged.
Social distancing should bemaintined when entering and exiting the school bus.Wearing mask is mandatory in the bus. Teachers will oversee the following of protocols.
Teachers and head teachers are expected to wear face mask. Those over 50 years of age will wear face shield. All should be vaccinated atleast with a dose, and arrangements should be made to immediately vaccinate those who have not got the jab. Second dose must be expedited.
Teachers with symptoms must remain absent and inform department officials. and RTPCR test is mandatory for these teachers three days before they rejoin classes.
A written consent letter by by parents is required for students to attend physical classes.
Parents, SDMC members and other visitors will have to wear masks and maintain distancing and will be allowed only to the office, not the classrooms
Meetings, celebrations, festivals and activities that cause grouping of students are prohibited.
Students should ensure the cloth masks used is clean, and disposable masks are not reused. Students should be encouraged to practice exercise and yoga at home to increase immunity. Students are discouraged from sharing their meals and water with each other.
Head teachers are expected to convince the SDMC member and parents about the preparations for reopening a week before school reopens.
In the instance of cases reducing, and regular classes or Vidyagama being started, schools are required to follow the SOP laid out in the 2020-21