Govt mulls reopening of schools as 2nd wave wanes

The review meeting led by School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi, comprising health officials, discussed whether to reopen schools for students from Classes 9 to 12 like it was done after the first wave.

“First of all, parents should clear their fear to send children to schools. All the pros and cons would be discussed before reopening the schools,” he added.

A senior official from the School Education Department added that the authorities were also thinking of getting feedback from the parents and teachers to seek their opinion on the reopening of schools.

“Discussions on beginning classes on a rotation basis for high school students are also going on. All safety measures to be taken for students are also being discussed,” he added.

Stating that all district education officials have submitted data regarding the current scenario in their respective areas, the official said, “a decision would be taken according to their reports.”

Pointing out that all schools were permitted to continue online classes till the reopening, the official said teachers of government schools should ensure that their students learn lessons from Kalvi TV, the exclusive educational channel.

The official added that inspections have been conducted in all schools to find out whether the management was prepared to take classes following all the standard operating procedures (SOPs). “All government teachers have been asked to report for duty. They would also be prepared to take classes if there is a conducive atmosphere to reopen the schools,” he concluded.