Bhubaneswar: Schools in the state will reopen for Classes X and XII students Monday after a prolonged period due to Covid-19 restrictions.
School and Mass Education Minister Samir Ranjan Dash Sunday said that all the schools are sanitising the classrooms and premises and, as per government instructions, nodal officers are visiting the schools to supervise the arrangements.
“We had announced the reopening of schools and all the required arrangements have been completed. We hope the turnout of students will be good in schools,” said Dash.
As many students are unable to reap the benefits of online teaching due to poor internet connectivity, the state government had decided to reopen the schools for Classes X and XII students from July 26.
School and Mass Education department Secretary Satyabrata Sahu said online teaching is reaching only 40 per cent of the students, while the remaining are being left behind.
Due to the Covid-19 restrictions, the school students in the state have lost 150 days of classroom teaching during the last academic year.
Meanwhile, both the Board of Secondary Education (BSE) and Council of Higher Secondary Education (CHSE) have reduced their respective syllabi.
Hence, the government has decided to reopen both private and government-run schools for the Classes X and XII students from July 26, Sahu said.
However, it is not mandatory for all students to attend the classes in person. “We have given them an option to come to school only with the consent of their parents,” said Sahu.
Meanwhile, the schools will continue with online teaching for all classes, including Classes X and XII, he said. As per the guidelines separate sections will be made if the number of students in a particular school is more, he added.
Similarly, the Odisha government had also directed the institutes to reopen the hostels for students of Classes X and XII for the academic session 2021-22.
Hostels had remained closed since the outbreak of the pandemic last year.
In a letter to all heads of schools, Pratap Kumar Mishra, additional secretary S&ME department said that government has asked hostels to reopen from July 25, 2021 as classes will resume from the next day.
This is applicable for all schools coming under the control of S&ME and other departments and also for private institutions. All institutes have to follow the SOPs implemented by the government.
Heads of all educational institutions must ensure that students maintain social distancing while in school and common areas of the hostels have to be cleaned and sanitised on a regular basis.
PNN
