Odisha kindergartens, playschools to reopen on February 14

BHUBANESWAR: Kindergartens and playschools in Odisha will reopen from February 14 as the third coronavirus wave sees a downward trend. All educational institutions across the state resumed physical classes on February 7, almost a month after remaining closed due to the third wave of the pandemic.

"The government has been pleased to allow reopening of private pre-school (Play & KG) for the academic session 2021-22 from February 14," the Information and Public Relations Department said on Tuesday. COVID-appropriate behaviour will be followed scrupulously by the respective private pre-school management, it said.

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Teaching, non-teaching and support staff must have been fully vaccinated with two doses of a COVID vaccine, the department said. The school authorities should take utmost care of the small kids, it added.

Schools for standards 8 to 12, colleges and universities resumed physical classes on February 7. The educational institutions were shut on January 10 in view of the third wave of the pandemic.

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The Odisha government issued a timetable for students of classes 1 to 12, days before schools reopen in the state. Students of Classes 9 to 12 will be attending school from 10 am to 4 pm, while those from Classes 1 to 8 have been asked to be present from 9 am to 1 pm, according to an order issued by the School and Mass Education Department.

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday appealed to parents to send their wards to schools with over 14 lakh students across the state attending physical classes on the first day of reopening of educational institutions. Patnaik described February 7 as a historic day as schools reopened in the state after a gap of nearly one month due to the prevailing COVID-19 situation.

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Of the 24,45,407 enrolled students in 37,533 schools across the state, 14,42,790 were present for the classroom teaching on the first day, the School and Mass Education department said. Deogarh reported the maximum turnout in the higher secondary level with 85 per cent of students attending the offline classes. It also recorded 91 per cent attendance in the secondary level, while Kendrapara registered 77 per cent, the highest among districts of Odisha in elementary standards.

The chief minister asked school managing committees to pay special attention to the safety of students.

(with inputs from PTI)