The Chhattisgarh Cabinet, which will be meeting on Saturday, will be taking decision on opening of schools in State. Talking to mediapersons, School Education Minister Dr Premsai Singh Tekam said that proposal for opening schools will be tabled before the Cabinet for its decision. The Health Department has already ayed the proposal.

Speculations are rife in State over reopening of schools, although any kind of final decision in this direction is yet to be taken. The School Education Minister said that after the proposal is tabled before the Cabinet, a decision will be taken from which date or month schools will be reopened. He said that before making the proposal discussions were held with the Health Department pertaining to COVID-19 infection and after getting its go-ahead, the proposal was prepared.

 

The department has already completed its preparations, the moment approval for opening schools is received from State Government, guidelines will be issued to the schools for re-opening. If the School Education Department sources are to be believed, as per the proposal consisting of the reopening plan for schools, in the first phase classes for IX to XII will be permitted.

 

Since practical classes for Class X and XII are already going on, hence focus has been laid on these classes.

Sources further informed that the students will have to come to schools wearing masks and classes will be held in compliance with physical distancing norms.

 

Arrangements for sanitisers and sanitisation systems will be ensured in schools before its re-opening. It is being expected that the schools will reopen from February 16, 2021 for high school and higher secondary classes. As soon as Cabinet approves the School Education Department proposal, guidelines for re-opening of schools will be issued by the School Education department, for which preparations have been made already.

 

The guidelines will be issued to the District Education Officers and subsequently to all the School Principals across the state. Schools will be permitted to re-open while keeping the safety of children at the foremost.

 

Sources further informed that school will be functioning on 50 per cent attendance primarily for classes Class IX to Class XII, however, final decision will be taken in the Cabinet. However, no decision has been taken by the department regarding opening of schools for Class I to Class VIII.

 

It is being speculated that either these classes will be allowed from March or from the new academic session.

Since examination guidelines have been already issued where children in high school and higher secondary classes will have to appear for examinations in their respective schools. Hence it was being speculated that schools are all set to re-open. In maximum numbers of states like Delhi, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Odisha, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, etc, schools have been re-opened and in many states junior classes have also been started. However, schools are all set to re-open, but in strict compliance of COVID-19 guidelines.