BHUBANESWAR: Admission process at Government-run schools will be made either through phone call of WhatsApp.
Neither children nor their parents will be required to visit schools for fulfilling the formalities, stated a standard operating procedure (SOP) issued by the School and Mass Education (SME) department on Thursday.
The decision has been taken in the wake of Covid-19 where social distancing is mandatory to prevent the pandemic from spreading. In May, the department had decided to promote all students from Class 1 to 8 in State-run schools.
Admissions at government-aided and unaided recognised schools, madrasas, Sanskrit tols besides, schools affiliated to BSE and CHSE started on June 8 and would be completed by July 15.
In case of promotions within a school, the institutions will update the admission register accordingly. And in cases where promotion requires a student to move from one school to another, headmaster of the present institution will have to send a list of such students along with phone numbers of their parents through email or WhatsApp to his counterpart at the nearby higher class school.
The school which will admit students can take a telephonic confirmation from parents.
If a student requires a TC, a parent will have to collect and submit it in the new school. Schools which have been converted into TMCs, swab collection centres or Covid health centres, can carry out work related to issuing TC or admissions from the nearest Government schools.
For new admission to Class I, information about children has to be collected from anganwadi centres over phone or WhatsApp and headmasters can take confirmation telephonically.
“In worst case where presence of parent is required for new admission, headmasters have been asked to ensure social distancing, mask usage and hand sanitisation. Parents need to be informed about timing of admission before hand to avoid crowding at schools”, said SME Minister Samir Ranjan Dash. Admission will not be allowed in schools within containment zones.