Maharashtra school reopen: Schools for all classes reopen tomorrow; Government issues guidelines

NEW DELHI: Maharashtra schools for Classes 1 to 12 will reopen from tomorrow, January 24. State school education minister Varsha Gaikwad announced on social media on January 20 that chief minister Uddhav Thackeray approved a proposal sent to him by the school education department to resume offline classes.

“Schools in areas where coronavirus cases are fewer can restart physical classes for Std 1st-12th and also start pre-primary classes from January 24 onwards. We are committed to safe resumption of schools in the state,” Gaikwad had tweeted.

Also Read | No decision on reopening schools in Pune yet: Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar

According to the guidelines issued by the government, Varsha Gaikwad said it is mandatory to have the consent of parents for attendance. She further requested parents to not send students to school if they are unwell. Moreover, schools were asked to ensure isolation facilities in case any student shows symptoms.

“Health, safety and continuous education of our students is of primary concern for us,” she said. Asking schools to ensure strict adherence to Covid-19 SOPs, the minister said masks should be worn at all times, not more than one student to be seated per bench and vaccination drives for older students should be ramped up.

Also Read | COVID-19: 85% Delhi govt school students vaccinated against coronavirus

“Continued education in a safe environment is our endeavour. As schools are set to reopen, here are some things our students can keep in mind to stay covid safe at school. #BackToSchool,” the minister recently said in a tweet.

Continued education in a safe environment is our endeavour. As schools are set to reopen, here are some things our students can keep in mind to stay covid safe at school. #BackToSchool pic.twitter.com/oUOvK3wfrv

— Prof. Varsha Eknath Gaikwad (@VarshaEGaikwad) January 22, 2022

Meanwhile, on Maharashtra schools reopening, about 62 per cent of surveyed parents in the state are unwilling to send their children to school from January 24, amid the state government's decision to allow the reopening of schools from Monday. The findings were based on a survey conducted by the online community platform LocalCircle across tier 1, tier 2-3 and tier 4 cities of the state that received 4,976 responses, PTI reported.

Also Read | CBSE encourages students, teachers to watch Republic Day livestream

The Maharashtra government had on January 8 ordered closure of all schools and colleges in the state till February 15 to contain the spread of the virus.