Punjab sets ball rolling for reopening of schools

Chandigarh: The Punjab government on Wednesday set the ball rolling for reopening of schools, which are shut across the state since March 13 in the wake of outbreak of pandemic.

Punjab education secretary Krishan Kumar on Wednesday shared the views of the education department with the department of home affairs regarding reopening of schools as per the guidelines issued by the central government. However, a final decision in this regard is yet to be taken. Punjab education minister Vijay Inder Singla maintained that the final decision regarding reopening of schools will be taken by the chief minister, Captain Amarinder Singh after reviewing all precautions regarding safety of students.

In its October 5 guidelines for reopening of schools from October 15, the central government made the consent of parents mandatory for students to attend the schools. The government has also given choice to the students to opt for online classes instead of attending the school physically.

In a communication to the additional chief secretary (home) on Wednesday, Kumar stated that to begin with, only the students from Class IX to XII may be allowed by opening the schools for three hours a day. In the schools, where the number of students is more, teachers may be called in two shifts of three hours each, he said. However, all the safety measures will be followed, including the minimum distance between students and teachers, as per the standard operating procedure (SOP) issued by the state health department.

As per the plan, on an average, there will not be more than 20 students in a section to attend the class. To ensure that proper distance is maintained, only two students will be allowed to sit on a bench, while other protocols like using sanitisers and wearing masks will be followed strictly.

Punjab sets ball rolling for reopening of schools

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