Also, officials said, School Education Department will introduce social distancing among the students in the institutions till the threat of coronavirus persisted.

A senior official from the Directorate of School Education said a lot of work, including conducting Class 10 board exams, valuating Classes 11 and 12 answer sheets and sanitising schools are to be completed. “All these works are expected to start only after the shutdown is lifted. It will take at least one and half months to complete these tasks,” the official said.

He pointed out that printing of textbooks was also yet to commence. “Also, the tender process to procure uniform, school kits, footwear and notebooks is still pending. Fund allocation for these welfare schemes will be difficult for the government at this juncture, as the authorities are trying to allocate fund for the measures to control the spread of the pandemic.”

Considering all these aspects, the schools in Tamil Nadu are expected to reopen only in the first week of July instead of June 1, he added. “If the shutdown period is extended beyond May, school reopening will be delayed further,” he said.

On the plan to ensure social distancing in government and aided schools, the official said the once the schools were reopened, social distancing would be maintained in the sitting pattern of students. “Extra chairs and benches will be provided so that students will maintain the minimum required distance from one another,” he said.

Stating that all private institutions would also be instructed to ensure social distance once the schools reopened, the official said that the private school managements should also ensure that this was followed even on the vehicles that are used to take students to schools.