Maharashtra government has decided to allow more students to attend schools for offline classes. School Education Minister Barsha Gaikawad on Tuesday said that students of Class 5 to Class 12 will be allowed to attend classes in rural areas from August 17 and students of classes 8 to 12 in urban areas will be allowed to attend schools.
Schools in Maharashtra will reopen in areas where coronavirus cases are under control. The minister has also issued a set of SOPs for the “SAFETY RETURN” of students to schools. The decision to send students to schools will ultimately rest with their parents, the minister said.
Parental consent is of paramount importance to us, with 80% of parents saying in a survey that they want schools to reopen on July 15, 8-12th grade. Classes were started in Corona free villages. Parents will have the final decision on the physical presence of their children, the attendance norms have been relaxed, – said Ms Gaikawad.
Maharashtra’s School Education Minister said that when schools reopen in Maharashtra, teaching hours will be limited to three to four hours per day and no cultural gatherings or sporting events will be allowed. Schools will have to provide isolation facilities for an emergency and tie up with local health departments.
Collectors Are Empowered To Assess The Risk:
The minister said that in Mumbai, Thane and 12 districts where KOVID-19 restrictions are in place, district collectors have been empowered to conduct risk assessments at the local level and decide the reopening of schools.
For the safety of staff and students, vaccination has been made mandatory for staff or teachers. We have also constituted a task force under the chairmanship of Commissioner or Collector to oversee the restoration and safe operation of schools, – said Ms. Gaikawad.
Only 15-20 students have been allowed to appear in the class at a given time and to ensure this, the minister said, schools will call the students in shifts or on alternate days.
A student will sit on a bench and a distance of six feet will be kept between the two benches. Every school must have a safe transportation plan for the students.
No Laxity In Implementation Of These SOPs:
The student is advised to stay at home in case the student or any family member becomes ill. It will be the responsibility of the school to make up for the learning gap of such student, – said Ms. Gaikawad.
The Minister said that in view of the possible third wave of CORONA-19, no laxity will be allowed in the implementation of these SOPs.
An order issued by the state government on Tuesday said schools in Maharashtra can start conducting physical classes from August 17 onwards, provided the KOVID-19 infection rate is low in the region.
The decision to reopen more classes was announced last week. Physical classes from class 5th to 7th will be allowed in rural areas from August 17. Physical classes are already being conducted for classes 8th to 12th in most of the rural areas. The statement said that classes from class 8th to 12th may resume in urban areas.
State Task Force On CORONA-19:
Notably, the state task force on the CORONA-19 pandemic has advised against reopening schools offline.
Task force member Dr. Shashaanka Joshi said on Monday that there is evidence that schools and religious places are becoming “SUPER SPREADERS” of the viral infection.
The final decision on allowing physical classes will be taken by a committee headed by the concerned Municipal Commissioner in urban areas and District Collector in rural areas. Other members of the committee will be Ward Officer (WO), Medical Officer (MO) and Education Officer (EO).
Role of District Collector:
The statement said that in the area where schools are to be reopened, the spread of KOVID-19 should be very low for the past one month, and the District Collector should be directed to fight against KOVID-19 by teachers and teachers. Arrangements should be made to vaccinate other school employees.
To Avoid Overcrowding:
Parents should be barred from entering the school premises to avoid overcrowding. The number of students in a class can be around 15-20, sitting at a distance of “SIX FEET” from each other.
The statement said that the teaching of core subjects should be given priority, and if a student tests positive for the infection, the school should be closed.
