Supreme Court says can't direct states to reopen schools for offline teaching

NEW DELHI: Responding to a petition filed by a Delhi-based student seeking directions for phased reopening of physical schools, the Supreme Court today said it is not a matter where judicial directions can be issued.

According to Live Law, the apex court heard a plea seeking directions to the Centre and States to consider and take a time-bound decision with regard to the physical re-opening of schools and conduct of offline teaching.

“These are plans that should be left to the government. We don't have any data,” the apex court said adding that it can’t issue judicial mandates with regards to resuming offline classes. However, the court said that teachers and students have to be vaccinated.

Supreme Court refuses to entertain a PIL field by a Delhi-based student seeking directions for phased reopening of physical schools. It is not a matter where judicial directions can be issued, observes the Court. #SupremeCourt

— Live Law (@LiveLawIndia) September 20, 2021

Schools, colleges, and other educational institutions have been resuming physical classes in a phased manner. States like Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Haryana, and Rajasthan resumed offline classes with limited capacity from today. The state governments have also issued Covid-19 guidelines for the schools to follow.

Several states have also prioritized vaccination for teachers and school staff to combat the spread of Coronavirus.

However, Leh closed all schools for 15 days after Ladakh reported 71 fresh cases of COVID-19, the highest single-day rise in the past over two months. Uttar Pradesh also recently shut schools for two days due to heavy rainfall in the state.

Also read | Schools closed in Leh as Ladakh reports 71 new COVID-19 cases

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