Maharashtra: Vid schools to reopen on June 29, teachers to report 2 days earlier

NAGPUR: The state school education department has fixed June 29 as the days when schools will reopen in Vidarbha. A circular issued on Friday laid out the road map for the new academic session in which teachers have been asked to report at least two days prior.
The last time schools reopened in June was in 2019. After that the pandemic delayed reopening plans in 2021 and 2022.
Academic session in Vidarbha starts almost two weeks after rest of Maharashtra, due to the hot-weather conditions.
A school principal said, “The usual reopening date for schools in Vidarbha is June 26, and June 15 for rest of Maharashtra. This time June 26 falls on a Sunday, hence teachers have to report from Monday (June 27).”
On June 27 and 28, school teachers will be put through the rigours for a normal reopening. The mask mandates are now gone and so are the social distancing rules. Still, schools will sensitize teachers on the precautions to be taken.
Another principal said, “Washing hands and sanitization are good habits which we will encourage children to continue. But it is very hard to keep track whether kids are following the rules or not. For example, during lunch break you can never check if all students out there have washed their hands or not. Even if they do at the start, they will touch some wall or railing while eating.”
In Gadchiroli, zilla parishad schools have been asked to ensure that trees on school campus do not pose a threat to students during monsoon. An official said, “We have seen trees getting uprooted due to strong winds. All we want is that kids should not be in danger hence schools have been asked to identify any weak plantations.”