GUWAHATI:
Assam on Tuesday re-clamped 50% attendance rule in classes from upper primary to
university level, including technical colleges, in districts having more than 100 active Covid-19 cases and ordered online teaching for pre-primary to lower primary level classes, which have been already closed down since Monday.
In as many 16 of the 33 districts, the number of active Covid-19 is are more than 100 till Tuesday.
This limited attendance arrangement in educational intuitions was introduced in June-July last year, which remained in force till the year-end. The new guidelines issued to contain the spread of the second wave of the pandemic will come into effect immediately and remain in force till May 8 or until further orders.
The
education department has underlined that “online mode of teaching should be adopted as far as possible” at all levels.
According to the new guidelines for conduct of classes from upper primary (VI) to senior secondary classes (
XII), in each sections with average 50 students, roll numbers 1 to 25 shall attend school on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and the students with roll number 26 to 50 in each section from each class shall attend on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
“The school authorities shall maintain staggered timings in respect of start and end of the school for three classes at one time, so that large scale release of students does not arise at the same time at the entry and exit point of the institution,” the guidelines said.
Morning assemblies, meetings in
schools (formal and in-formal) have been banned and any student or teacher having any symptom of cold, cough and fever are barred from attending school.
In case the average number of students in each section is less than 50, the head of the institution will have the discretion to arrange the number of students accordingly with strict adherence to 50% attendance.
School authorities have also been asked to maintain all Covid-19 protocols and ensure giving lessons to students by strictly adhering to Covid-appropriate behavior, respiratory etiquette, practising hand hygiene through frequent hand washing and use of sanitizers, wearing of masks and maintenance of social distancing.
Frequent sanitization of entire premise, common facilities and all points which come into human contact have been made mandatory.
In respect of colleges and universities, situated in the districts where active
Covid cases have crossed the 100-mark, authoritieshave to ensure that all Covid protocols are maintained.