K'taka rethinks, may reopen schools in week's time

Karnataka's plan to reopen schools hit a roadblock as the scheduled meeting of the concerned officials could not be held on Monday and has been rescheduled for November 4.

After the Andhra Pradesh government took a decision to reopen schools two days ago, the Karnataka government too felt the need to deliberate on this model for three days with officials concerned before announcing its final decision. As a result of this, the meeting was convened but due to technical glitches, the meeting had to be called off abruptly.

Speaking to reporters here, Primary and Secondary Education Minister S. Suresh Kumar said, "We are seriously studying the Andhra Pradesh model for reopening of schools. Prior to taking any decision, we need to examine everything as it is a question of students' lives."

He added that the state too has agreed to reopen colleges from November 17 and in the meanwhile, the state is also witnessing a trend of Covid positive cases coming down considerably.

"Hence we are also giving it a fresh thought to reopen schools," he said and added that even experts have suggested that it would be better if schools are reopened in a phased manner.

The minister said that not every student can afford online education.

"Prior to reopening, we need to gather information on various fronts besides the health condition of the teachers and students," he said.

"Experts feel that prolonged closure of schools can have negative impact on child's mind as well; therefore, we are examining all these things before arriving at a final decision," Kumar said.