Madhya Pradesh schools reopen for Class 12 students

Bhopal: After remaining closed for months due to coronavirus-induced curbs, schools reopened for Class 12 students in Madhya Pradesh on Monday as per COVID-19 protocols though with lower attendance, but several private schools did not resume offline sessions. On the first day, attendance in classes was thin due to COVID-19, whose cases have dropped significantly in the state, but the disease is still lurking around, according to some parents whose children went to schools.

Many private schools affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) did not open for offline study sessions, citing different reasons. However, schools affiliated to the Madhya Pradesh Board of Secondary Education (MPBSE) reopened for students of Class 12. There are more than 47,000 private schools in Madhya Pradesh.

At some schools, no student turned up. At few, one, five or ten came, MP Private Schools Association (MPBSE) president Ajeet Singh told PTI. “Many schools of ours did not reopen for holding classes (for higher secondary students) due to several reasons like receiving the state government order in this regard late. There are more than 2,000 schools that are affiliated to the CBSE in MP”, Sahodaya Group of CBSE schools, Bhopal president, D Ashok said.

“It is hard to give figures of government schools which reopened today for holding classes for 12th standard students in MP," an official of the state government's Public Relations Department said. The decision to reopen schools rests with the district crisis management committees formed to combat COVID-19, he added.

The official said there were around 4,300 schools for 12th standard students and 4,936 schools for Class 10 pupils which are run by the state government, citing 2019-20 figures. On Tuesday (July 27), schools for Class 11 students will reopen for offline sessions in MP. The state on Monday reported six new coronavirus cases, but no fresh death.

Last week, the MP government issued a standard operating procedure (SOP) for reopening schools for Classes 11 and 12 with 50 per cent attendance starting from July 26. As per the SOP, physical classes for students of Classes 9 and 10 will resume once a week from August 5. Classes will be held twice a week for students of Classes 11 and 12, and virtual sessions will continue simultaneously, an official said.

Class 11 students will attend schools on Tuesdays and Fridays, while those in Class 12 will go to schools on Mondays and Thursdays, he said. Students of Class 9 will attend schools on Saturdays and for those in Class 10, sessions will be held on Wednesdays, the official added.

According to the guidelines, student gatherings such as morning assemblies and swimming lessons are not permitted. Apart from this, the state government has asked schools to undertake a slew of measures such as running COVID-19 tests on students and teachers. Meanwhile, the state government on Monday ramped up the inoculation drive for teachers.

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