Parents to be consulted before reopening schools

The decision to hold the consultative meeting was taken after Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami discussed the issue with School Education Minister KA Sengottaiyan and Higher Education Minister K P Anbalagan at Secretariat on Wednesday.

“The meeting to collect inputs from parents of students of Classes 9 to 12, Parent-Teacher Association members and managements of private schools, to be chaired by school principal/ headmaster, will commence at 10 am on November 9 in every school,” said School Education Secretary Dheeraj Kumar said in a statement on Tuesday.

“Based on the inputs from parents, a decision on reopening respective schools will be taken,” the official added.

Those who are not able to attend in person may give their opinion in writing, the statement said.

All educational institutions in the State were closed after the lockdown was imposed due to the rapid spread of COVID-19 pandemic. With the number of fresh cases and active cases registering a decline, the government had announced on October 31 that schools would be reopened from Classes 9 to 11 from November 15.

On Tuesday, this newspaper had carried a report on the School Education Department reconsidering this decision after being urged by parents, academicians, teachers and opposition parties.