The state government will take a decision on the reopening of schools for Classes 6 to 8 next week.
As covid cases dip further in Gujarat, talk of opening educational institutes have already began with many classes partially opened.
The state government will take a decision on the reopening of schools for Classes 6 to 8 next week.
“The decision on reopening schools for Classes 6 to 8 students will be taken after August 15,” state education minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama said on Wednesday.
The state government was earlier planning to decide by August 9, but after the recent incident in Punjab, where schoolchildren got infected with Covid-19 after the re-opening of schools earlier this month, the state government is treading cautiously sources said.
Last week, about 20 students at two schools in Ludhiana tested positive for Covid-19 after which the schools were told to shut for two weeks.
“We requested the state government to allow reopening of schools for Classes 6 to 8 about 15 days ago, when the number of cases was very low. The idea was that students could study in-person in classrooms before a possible third wave shuts them down,” Bhaskar Patel, president of Gujarat State Self-Financed School Management Association.
With Covid-19 case numbers low in the state, schools and colleges opened recently in a staggered manner. Schools are allowed to hold in-person classes for Classes 9 to 12 with 50% student attendance. Attendance is not mandatory and schools are to get permission from parents in writing to allow children to attend classes.
In March this year, at least 12 students in Surat tested positive for Covid-19 after schools were allowed to reopen after a gap of nine months. They were soon shut down along with other educational institutions as Covid case numbers rose.
The state government recently decided to conduct RT-PCR tests at schools and colleges to check the spread of Covid-19.
The state’s health department has taken up a three-pronged approach called ‘test-track-treatment’ to ensure cases are detected early and patients get timely treatment.
With no vaccines available for schoolchildren, the monitoring of their health is a major concern.
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