No shift-based classes upon reopening of schools: TN Education Minister

The Schools and colleges in Tamil Nadu has been closed ever since the March lockdown. While the country is slowly crawling back to normalcy, in its unlock mode, the colleges and schools are still closed considering the pandemic situation. The classes are being held virtually and there has been much speculations on the school reopening dates.

Meanwhile the Central government has announced that from the 21st September, classes from 9th to 12th standard can function in schools premises and have issued SOPs to be followed.

Eventually, Tamil Nadu Education Minister KA Sengottaiyan has said that all the classes will start functioning simultaneously if at all the school reopens in the State. He also said there won't be any shift-based classes, as speculated, as all the schools in the state are equipped with ample classrooms to ensure the social distancing norms. He also hinted that there wont be any phased reopening and that all schools in the state will open simultaneously once the pandemic situation is brought under control.

Earlier, on Friday, the Minister had said that syllabus for the school students has been reduced by about 40 per cent for the academic year 2020-2021, based on an expert committee's recommendation in the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic.

The 18-member panel, set up to look into reducing the syllabus for the 2020-21 academic year in view of closure of schools due to COVID-19, submitted its report last month and based on this, 40 per cent of the syllabus had been cut, he said.

Also, the state government had formed another committee under the leadership of Commissioner of School Education Sigy Thomas Vaidhyan to evaluate and recommend the way forward for school education along with the implementation of the NEP 2020.