PUDUCHERRY: Chief Minister N Rangasamy on Monday announced the reopening of schools for Classes IX, X, XI and XII from September 1. All colleges will also be reopened on September 1 on a rotational basis.
With COVID-19 cases having come down, the government has decided to reopen schools and colleges on similar lines to Tamil Nadu, said the Chief Minister at a press conference on Monday.
Classes will be held for half a day on alternate days by reducing the strength by 50 percent, he said. All teaching and non-teaching staff of schools have been asked to get vaccinated before the reopening, said the Chief Minister. Similarly, college students and staff have also been asked to get vaccinated. In all, around 90 percent of the school staff have got vaccinated, while the remaining would also get vaccinated, he said.
However, no Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) has been put in place yet, for ensuring compliance. The Chief Minister said that the respective institutions will ensure that all COVID norms are followed.
Depending on the strength of the students, classes will be held in two or three rooms, Education Secretary E Vallavan said. The schedule will be drawn up by the heads of respective colleges. Buses will be operated with half capacity. The nearby PHC will take care of emergencies arising in institutions, he said.
Vaccination camps will be held in all colleges to ensure that all students and staff are vaccinated before the colleges reopen. Almost all staff, except those who cannot be vaccinated as they suffered from COVID-19 and have to wait for completion of three month to vaccinate, would be administered the jabs. Without vaccination, students will not be allowed to attend colleges, said the Education Secretary.
Schools and colleges would be sanitised thoroughly before the commencement of classes, said Vallavan. Some masks and sanitisers are being given to schools and colleges for students who come to attend classes without them.
Projects under the Smart City at an outlay of Rs 260 crores would be implemented.