Online classes will continue till August or even Onam going by the current COVID-19 situation, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said.
He was inaugurating the distribution of food kits by the General Education Department for students from pre-primary to Class VIII for March, April, and May, here on Thursday.
The Chief Minister said the government had made it clear at the outset that the online classes were a temporary mechanism to engage students in academics. They were not a substitute for regular classes. Children had to learn and play, and online classes could not recreate the classroom or school environment.
However, if the COVID-19 situation did not improve, the online classes would have to continue. The moment things improved allowing for resumption of regular classes, schools would be reopened without any delay, he said.
Mr. Vijayan said necessary facilities for online classes had been made available by the government with the support of the public, institutions, and others. However, if at all any student was still without any facility for online education, they should bring it to the attention of the General Education Department through their school, and it would be addressed immediately.
Mid-day meals
The Chief Minister said the government had decided to distribute the food kits as students were not able to get the nutritious mid-day meals when they had to stay put at homes. The kits, comprising rice and nine types of provisions, would be distributed to 26.26 lakh students in government and aided schools. This food security allowance for 39 days did not include that for the 15 days schools remained closed in March and the holidays in April and May.
An amount of ₹81.37 crore, including the Union government component, has been spent on the food kit distribution. The kits were being distributed through parents as school were yet to reopen. The kits for June and July too would be distributed in a similar manner.
