PremiumThe state government has announced that schools for the students of classes 1 to 7 will resume on 14 February. This comes as students of lower classes have been away from schools for nearly two years now
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Schools for students of classes 8 and above, colleges, ITIs, polytechnics, professional institutions and universities across Odisha began physical classes on Monday, almost a month after they were shut in the wake of a sudden surge in Covid-19 cases.
In addition to this, hostels in colleges and universities reopened a day before on Sunday, in compliance with all Covid-19 safety protocols.
The state government has announced that schools for the students of classes 1 to 7 will resume on 14 February. This comes as students of lower classes have been away from schools for nearly two years now.
Earlier, Odisha chief secretary SC Mohapatra had announced that schools and colleges will open across the state from 7 February, following a decline in Covid-19 cases.
Though classroom teaching has started, the state government announced that students can opt for offline or online or hybrid modes.
This apart, the state felt that the impact of the third wave of the pandemic is less than the previous two waves.
The class timing for students of classes 8 to 12 in schools under the school and mass education department is 10 am to 4 pm, while it is 9 am to 1 am for students of classes 1 to 7, an order issued by the government said.
Centre's guidelines
The central government on 3 February issued revised guidelines for the reopening of schools, allowing the states to take the final call based on their overall Covid situation.
The Centre has said that all districts whose Covid-19 positivity rate is below 5% can reopen schools now.
“The pandemic situation has improved. There are states and districts of concern, but overall there is a contraction in the spread of infection which is heartening. There are 268 districts where the positivity is below 5%," said Niti Ayog member (health) VK Paul.
"And clearly, these districts can move in the direction of non-Covid care and also in the direction of other economic activities as well as school reopening," he added.
Noting that the nation is concerned that there has been a significant learning loss, Paul said schools should be open at the "earliest opportunity but also appropriate time".
He stated that while the final decision for reopening of schools rests with the state governments, the Centre would still like to ensure that schools are opened and run in compliance with standard operating procedures.
Covid situation in state
Meanwhile, Odisha on Monday logged 1,497 new infections taking the state’s Covid-19 tally to 12,68,308 while the daily positivity rate dropped to 3.18%.
Bhubaneswar reported five new fatalities followed by four in Kalahandi and three in Cuttack district, it said.
The infections are the lowest since 5 January and plunged by 55% from 3,329 a week ago. The state had logged 2,106 Covid-19 cases and 23 deaths on Sunday.
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