Maharashtra Schools to Reopen for Classes 5 to 7 in Urban Areas, Classes 1 to 4 in Rural Areas in 15 Days

The Maharashtra school education department has decided to resume physical classes for students of classes 5 to 7 in urban areas and classes 1 to 4 in rural areas. The state school education and health departments took the decision after a meeting with the pediatric Covid-19 task force on November 16. The proposal of resumption of offline classes has been sent to the state government, however, the final decision is yet to be taken by the state chief minister Uddhav Thackeray.

As reported by Times of India, the physical classes for the remaining standards are likely to resume in the next 15 days. The pediatric task force said that it is now safe to bring children back to schools. State health minister Rajesh Tope is told the news portal, “It is nearly 10 days since Diwali and the Covid-19 curve is still going downhill. Given the current situation, it is safe to reopen schools.”

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The schools across the state have been asked to share the data of students for classes 5 and 7. They have also been asked to inform the education department about their preparation to accommodate more students in classrooms. At present, the schools are closed for Diwali vacation and the new academic session will reopen from November 22 onwards.

Meanwhile, the offline classes for students of 5 to 12 have already been resumed in rural areas. In urban areas, the physical classes were resumed on October 4 for standards 8 to 12 with adherence to all the Covid-19 safety guidelines, however, the attendance in schools was quite low before Diwali as parents prefer online classes.

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In Mumbai, nearly 85 per cent of schools were reopened, but the attendance of students was recorded below 35 per cent. The state government is also likely to revise the standard operating procedure. As of now, classes are conducted only for three hours and there is no snack break given to students.

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