Ranchi: The state government has decided to reopen educational institutions soon in a phased manner, starting with centres of higher learning and
schools for
Class X and XII students appearing for board exams. Talking to TOI, state health minister and
disaster management department
Banna Gupta said a formal notification with detailed guidelines will be issued soon.
Gupta said, "All medical, dental, nursing institutes and the likes will be allowed to open along with training institutes of higher education. All schools will recommence for higher classes in view of upcoming board exams. We have also increased the cap on number of people allowed to gather indoors to 200 while 300 can be together in open spaces. At religious places, gatherings of 200 people will also be allowed," he said.
“A formal notification along with the dos and don’ts will soon be issued from chief secretary’s office in a day or two for recommencement of academic establishments starting from the higher classes, but only with due consent of the parents,” said an official.
With new infections on downward trend, the government had started assessing possibilities of reopening of educational institutions that have been closed for nine months. “On Tuesday evening, chief minister Hemant Soren chaired a review meeting with the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) and discussions were held at length with regard to the Centre’s October guidelines regarding unlocking educational institutions,” an official statement from the state IPRD said.
As part of Unlock 5.0, GOI in its advisory allowed reopening of schools post October 15 in a graded manner but left it on the states and union territories to take a final call taking local situations into considerations. Parents’ organizations had also appealed to the state government to allow offline classes for board aspirants.