Karnataka Primary and Secondary Education Minister S Suresh Kumar on Tuesday, September 29, 2020 clarified that the state government is yet to decide when to reopen schools and PU colleges in the state. “There is no plan to reopen them now. Suggestions and inputs from MLAs, educators, school managements, parents, teachers, and other stakeholders of the system will be looked into before taking a final decision,” he said.

Meanwhile, schools with high student strength in the state will be directed to hold classes in shifts, according to a Department of School Education Research and Training (DSERT) official. The DSERT is finalising the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for schools to resume lessons offline.

An official said, “While schools with high student strength will be directed to follow a shift-system, those with lesser number of students will be allowed to continue how they functioned pre-lockdown.”

“Further, managements will be asked to sanitise classrooms and other points within the school premises and vehicles that take students to and from the school on a daily basis. While students, teachers, and other stakeholders of the system will be asked to strictly follow social distancing norms, some restrictions will be in place while allowing students to take part in physical instruction and sports activities,” the official explained.

With the decision on partially reopening still pending, DSERT and top officials of the education department are expected to convene a meeting with representatives of private schools managements, members of school development and monitoring committees (SDMCs), teachers, parents, and other stakeholders to discuss ways of implementing safety measures.

Source: The Indian Express

Read: School reopening status across states from September 21 & FAQs

Also read: Delhi schools reopening postponed: Here’s what educators are saying