Govt. issues safety advisory for textbook distribution

Free textbooks and other educational resources will be distributed to students of government and government-aided schools in adherence to the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) issued by the State government.

Students of Classes 10 and 12 will first receive their books, and this is being done to facilitate learning from home during the COVID-19 lockdown.

In the SOP issued by the Revenue and Disaster Management Department, the schools have been asked to distribute the books in pre-assigned time slots to students or their parents. Not more than 20 persons will be allowed to gather on the school premises during a slot of one hour and physical distancing norms will have to be followed. Teachers, students and parents have all been instructed to wear masks.

The schools have also been asked to ensure that students get the video content of lessons on their laptops. For this, the designated staff members have been asked to collect their laptops and take them to the hi-tech labs in the schools. Once the e-resources are downloaded, the laptops will be returned to students. No student or parent will be allowed into the labs.

On school campuses, two classrooms will be earmarked as waiting halls for parents and students, who have been asked not to linger outside the premises after the distribution is over.

For students who are in quarantine or in containment zones, the schools have been asked to hand over the books once their quarantine period is over.