Students hoping to return to the classroom or even visit their schools to get doubts clarified will have to wait longer for a clear answer from the State government. “No decision has been made regarding the opening of schools and colleges in the State so far,” said Primary and Secondary Education Minister S. Suresh Kumar on Tuesday.
He added that the government was not thinking of reopening schools and colleges in the State and no tentative dates have been chalked out. “We have invited suggestions from stakeholders regarding this and will take into consideration the opinion of elected representatives and the general public,” he said, adding that he would also speak to teachers’ associations and educational experts.
However, the government has come up with a Standard Operating Procedure to be followed by schools when they do finally reopen.
ADVERTISEMENT
It has also decided that students will not be allowed to visit schools to get their doubts clarified in the month of October, given the rising number of COVID-19 cases. “We had said that we would take a call on allowing visits at the end of September. But we have decided that we will not allow it until further notice,” a senior official said.
RTE Students and Parents’ Association chief secretary B.N. Yogananda welcomed the move not to reopen schools at the moment. “Most schools in urban areas have cramped classrooms and maintaining social distance is not feasible [there]. We want the government to declare a zero academic year for students,” he said.