BHUBANESWAR: Schools will be reopened for Class VIII and XI after Dussehra vacation comes to an end on October 20. As per a notification of the School and Mass Education department, classes for Standard-VIII will resume in offline mode from October 25, while students of Standard-XI will attend classes in physical mode from October 21. Classes will be held from 9.00 am to 12.30 pm for the Class VIII students while the timing will be 10 am to 1.30 pm for Class XI students.
However, attending physical classes is not compulsory for the students. Classes will continue in both offline and online mode and students can attend the offline classes in consultation with their parents/guardians, the notification said and added that attendance must not be enforced in view of the Covid-19 pandemic. Parents’ consent will also be mandatory for the students to stay in hostels.
The department has also clarified that no midday meals will be served to the students of Class VIII in campuses. Instead, dry ration will be provided to them the way it used to be provided earlier, it said. As per the fresh standard operating procedure (SOP) issued by the department, schools have to ensure queue management on the campuses and create markings on the floor with a gap of 6 feet for social distancing.
Wearing a mask will be mandatory for all. Fixed seating arrangements as done in the case of Class IX, X and XII will be done to minimise contact of one student from another. The maximum seating capacity will be 25 in each class.
Only schools outside containment zones will be allowed to open. Under exceptional circumstances, the district Collector will have the final authority to take decisions on timing and method of school reopening. The Collector will also have the authority to shut down the school in case the area is declared as a containment zone.
Classrooms will be sanitised prior to reopening of the schools and authorities would also ensure 100 percent access to potable drinking water and adequate functional toilets for all students. As per the SOP, in schools where transportation service is being provided, the facilities will run with 50 per cent capacity to reduce Covid infection risk.