As an indicator, the School Education Department released the reduced syllabus for Classes 6-8 with 50% reduction in curriculum of all subjects, officials said. The move comes in the backdrop of parents’ feedback that they were willing to send their children to schools if all safety measures were adopted. 

A senior official from the School Education Department told DT Next that after closely monitoring the situation, authorities, including health experts, were convinced of the SOPs being maintained in the institutions. 

“District education officials will visit all middle schools in their respective regions and instruct the managements to keep institutions ready for admitting more students following all safety measures,” he said, adding, health authorities will also distribute sanitisers, thermal scanners, and vitamin tablets. 

Pointing out that there are more than 33 lakh students of Classes 6-8 in about 10, 000 middle schools, including private institutions, he said, “If all students cannot be accommodated in view of physical distancing, shift system will be adopted”. 

In addition, schools will also be instructed to convert libraries, labs, auditoriums, and any other extra space into classes.