BHUBANESWAR: Days after announcing reopening of schools at elementary level from February 14, the State government on Thursday realised that the rural body polls were on during the period and the classroom infrastructure along with campuses were not ready to get children back. The government modified its school reopening order for students of Class I to VII, asking them to attend classes in physical mode from February 28.
School and Mass Education (SME) Secretary Bishnupada Sethi said the schools will reopen as per schedule from February 14. However, only teaching and non-teaching staff will visit the campuses for the first two weeks, while the students will attend offline classes from the last date of the month.The SME secretary said as per the feedback received from the district administrations, most of the polling personnel engaged in the ensuing panchayat elections are teaching and non-teaching staff and will not be available for teaching.
Besides, many school campuses will be used as polling stations where there will be heavy movement of polling personnel, police as well as voters and general public which may pose health hazards to the children on the account of Covid-19. Considering this, he said, the government has suggested commencement of offline classes at elementary level up to Class VII from February 28.
Sethi said the district collectors have also sought more time for undertaking bush cutting, cleaning, sanitisation and repair works on the grounds that the schools at primary and upper-primary level had remained closed for over two years due to the pandemic. He asked school authorities and staff to ensure through cleaning and sanitisation of the campuses before commencement of offline classes.
Apart from revising school reopening order, the department said that the Board of Secondary Education (BSE) and Council of Higher Secondary Education (CHSE) will hold extensive discussions with all stakeholders including students, teachers, parents, educationists and experts on whether they will go for offline examination or stick to alternative assessment this year. The consultation process will be worked out by the BSE president and CHSE chairman shortly.
“The government is aware of the difficult time Covid has created for the education sector and will address the challenges in the best possible manner. The predominant concern is to resume teaching, increase attendance and address the learning gaps,” the order stated.