Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNV), residential schools run by the Central government in rural areas, will open their doors for Classes 9 to 12 in the States and Union Territories (U.T.) that have permitted reopening of schools, the Education Ministry said on Friday. The reopening will be done in a phased manner and will only allow 50% capacity of students on campus, it added.
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The decision of the Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti, an autonomous body under the School Education Department which administers the JNVs, is the latest signal that the Centre is in favour of a quick return to in-person education disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic since March 2020. Earlier this week, the Centre also allocated more than 2 crore vaccine doses specifically for school staff in a bid to facilitate the reopening of physical classes.
Students of the more than 660 JNVs across the country often hail from poor families in remote areas with inadequate access to the Internet, and there has been demand from a section of students to return to their campuses. The Education Ministry emphasised that JNVs which reopen will follow the approved safety protocols, including precautions to ensure health and sanitation standards are maintained.
“Students will be permitted to attend the classes and stay in the hostel, only with parents’ consent. Provision of online education will also continue,” said the Ministry statement. “Arrangement is also in place for providing support to ensure mental and physical health and well-being of students through proper counseling.”
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