In order to provide access to practical labs, project work and doubt clearing lessons, the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) on Thursday requested the chief ministers of all states and union territories to allow partial reopening of ICSE board schools for Class 10 and 12 students from January 4, 2021. Senior officials of the Maharashtra state school education department said schools will reopen in areas based on the decision taken by respective local authorities.
On December 3, the council requested chief ministers stating, "For the final run-up to examinations, the CISCE has requested chief ministers of all state governments/Union territories to allow schools to reopen partially, specifically for the students of Class X and Class XII from January 4, 2021. With students physically attending school, this time will be utilised for practical work, project work, SUPW work and doubt clearing lessons."
This request has been made so that students of Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) Class 10 and Indian School Certificate (ISC) Class 12 will get an opportunity to attend physical lectures and resolve their queries before their board exams. The CISCE stated, "It will be extremely beneficial to students who will now get a chance to interact directly with teachers."
In response to the request, a senior official of the state school education department said, "The decision to reopen schools and resume offline lectures will be taken after thorough consideration of the on ground situation with regards to the Covid-19 pandemic. Local administrative bodies, health department and disaster management authorities will take a decision regarding reopening of schools."
Currently, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has announced that schools in Mumbai will not reopen offline till December 31, 2020. The CISCE stated, "If allowed to reopen, schools will be informed to follow directives of the state government regarding Covid-19 and conform to the safety guidelines and standard operating procedures (SOPs) of the state health department to prevent spread of coronavirus."
In addition, the CISCE has requested the chief election commissioner of India to share election dates of the states to be held between April and May 2021. This will help the council to prepare the schedule of Class 10 and Class 12 board exams without any clash of dates or inconvenience caused to students.