Amid third wave fear, schools begin reopening across states despite high caseload – Latest details here

Some schools in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Andhra Pradesh have restarted from Monday.

Reopening of schools: As things have started unlocking, states have also started reopening schools partially. Students have been away from schools on and off since the pandemic first struck the country in March last year, and they have not returned to schools at all since the second wave struck in April this year. But now, in the month of August, many states have decided to let students come to school for the physical mode of education while following strict COVID norms, even as fear of a pending third wave looms in several states

Some schools in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Andhra Pradesh have restarted from Monday. In UP, students of Class 9 to 12 can attend schools, but schools are only allowed to reopen with 50% attendance. While some schools have reopened, some more would be following suit soon. Meanwhile, in Bihar, students of Class 1 to 8 can attend schools, with a classroom only allowed to seat students at 50% capacity to ensure social distancing.

Andhra Pradesh had announced in July itself that students would have the option to physically attend classes in schools, while also announcing the implementation of NEP-2020.

Earlier this month, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Lakshadweep, Haryana, Nagaland, Puducherry and Chhattisgarh also reopened their schools.

Moreover, Maharashtra had earlier announced that it would be reopening schools from August 17, but is now reconsidering its stance as parents across the country remain skeptical about sending their children to school. This is especially because earlier reports had stated that a third wave, if it were to strike, would likely affect children more as compared to the previous two waves. This has caused a large proportion of parents to prefer online mode of education for their children despite having the option to send their children to school.

In Karnataka, schools are set to reopen for students of Class 9 to 12 from next week, but parents are worried because of the low rate of teachers being fully vaccinated. In Delhi, however, schools are allowed to only partially reopen for senior students, that too for work related to practicals and projects.

Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan are likely to resume physical classes from the beginning of next month.