BHUBANESWAR: The uncertainty over opening of educational institutions came to an end with the State government on Thursday announcing normal functioning of schools, colleges and hostels from February 7. After two long years, students of Class I to VII will also be back in the classrooms from February 14.
Making the announcement, Chief Secretary Suresh Mahapatra said, “Keeping the prevailing Covid situation in mind with the fact that we have crossed the peak of the third wave and large-scale vaccination of teenagers in the 15 to 18 age groups has been achieved, the State government has taken the decision to open all educational institutions.”
Students of Class VIII onwards will attend classes from February 7. However, students from Class I to Class VII will go to school a week later from February 14.In the current academic year, the students will also have the option of online and hybrid classes if they are not ready to go to school. Promotion of students from Class I to Class XI will be done on the basis of classroom assessment irrespective of the students opting for online, offline or hybrid mode of attending classes.
Examinations for Class X and Class XII will be conducted by the respective Board, Council or regulatory authority on schedule. The Higher Education department will conduct examinations as per the guidelines issued by it before closure of all colleges and universities on January 10.Departments running educational institutions have been directed to issue standard operating procedure (SOP) with freedom to make necessary changes in holding classes and examinations for the current academic year.
As the students have lost valuable academic time and learning in the last two years due to the back to back pandemic waves, the administrative departments have been asked to issue suitable instructions to educational institutions to prepare short-term and bridge courses for their students and counsel them on how to make up for the lost time. If necessary, the departments are free to shorten the summer vacation and utilise the time to complete the courses before holding examinations.The State government had ordered closure of schools from January 7 followed by higher education institutions from January 10.