Bhubaneswar: The Secretary of School and Mass Education (S&ME) department Satyabrata Sahu Thursday morning clarified that the previous decision of the Odisha government pertaining to reopening of primary schools from January 3, 2022 in the state will remain unchanged.
Earlier, the students and their parents were in a state of confusion.
“Offline classes for students of Standard I to Standard V will resume from January 3, 2022. A meeting in this regard has already been conducted with the District Education Officers (DEOs). Accordingly, they were directed to ensure thorough cleaning of the school campus, classrooms, toilets, desks and benches, prior to commencement of classes for students from Classes I to V, the S&ME official said.
“Adherence to Covid-19 safety protocols and appropriate behaviours at schools during classes was emphasised,” the official added.
Also read: Odisha registers 225 new Covid-19 cases; 37 below 18 years
Confusion over the reopening of primary schools in Odisha hovered as Director of Medical Education and Training (DMET) Rama Raman Mohanty Wednesday said that the state government’s decision may be revoked in view of the surging situation of Omicron variant.
It is pertinent to mention here that a day after the state government declared reopening of primary schools for students of Classes I to V, the DMET uttered about a probability and media went abuzz.
Cases of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 have been on the rise in India. So far 21 states including Odisha have reported more than 900 cases of Omicron infection. “The Odisha government may have taken the decision to reopen primary schools keeping in mind situation before the emergence of the Omicron variant. Also the daily Covid-19 cases in Odisha had dropped below the 200-mark,” Mohanty said.
“However, the decision may be withdrawn as the situation is more complex now and Omicron cases are surging. Covid-19 cases in India registered 40 per cent increase Wednesdsay,” Mohanty stated.
S&ME Minister Samir Ranjan Dash had earlier announced Tuesday that primary schools in Odisha that had been closed since outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 would reopen January 3, 2022.
It meant that about 27,000 schools would have the students back in classes I to V. The decision then evoked mixed reactions among educationalists and parents of the students with a majority of them opposing the decision. Many parents opined that as children tend not to follow protocols, they are prone to getting infected by the virus.
Notably, as per the government decision, classes will be held from 9.00am to 12 noon without any break. Distribution of dry ration among students under the mid-day meal scheme will continue as before.
PNN
