Many States In Dilemma To Take Decision On Schools Reopening Due To COVID 19 Spread

Some states in India have reopened schools following a lot of precautionary steps and protocols. But a sudden spike in COVID 19 cases has forced other states to hold and rethink on their decision on schools reopening .

The issue between access to education and safety during the pandemic has not come to a negotiation and almost half of the academic year has gone.

Initially, the government of Tamil Nadu announced to reopen the school on November 16, 2020. But now the government has decided to seek the opinion of parents and decide upon reopening schools.

Also Read: Tamil Nadu Government To Reopen Schools And Colleges From November 16

Telangana state is also consulting with parents and Meghalaya state is about to decide at the end of November 2020.

The Sikkim government has earlier announced schools reopening but now that decision has been deferred.

Andhra Pradesh has reopened schools on November 2, 2020, and 879 teachers and 575 students have tested positive for Covid 19 cases so far.

It is reported that the teachers were tested positive before the schools reopening and the students were affected after the schools were reopened.

Also Read: AP, Assam, Uttarakhand, And HP Schools To Be Reopened

The states which had decided to reopen schools have not yet decided to shut it down again. In Uttarakhand, 80 teachers from 23 schools in Pauri Garhwal district were tested positive.

Uttarakhand government has decided to shut the schools for five days and reopen it after proper sanitization.

The Haryana government had reopened the schools on November 2, 2020, and three students from the government school in Narwana tested positive.

Also Read: Haryana Government To Reopen Colleges, Universities From November 16

After a gap of a few days, other students will be returning to school. In Punjab, schools were reopened on October 19 and four teachers in Fazilka district tested positive.

The district education officer Sukhveer Singh Bal said that the schools reopening decision will be followed with strict safety protocols.

Only in Himachal Pradesh, the schools were shut down again after 40 teachers have tested positive for COVID 19 and Mizoram where 8 students tested positive.

Considering these, the Karnataka Government has initiated an outreach program named Vidyagama, for 47 lakh government school students.

In this program, the teacher will meet students in small groups in places like parks, playgrounds, and temples.

But after 34 students Belagavi and Kalaburagi tested positive and a government school teacher from Moodabidiri died after attending the program, Vidyagama was suspended by the government.

The Karnataka government now announced that they have no plan to open the schools anytime soon.

Also Read: Karnataka Colleges To Reopen From November 17; Schools Reopening Date To Be Announced Later

Delhi, West Bengal, Kerala, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand government has also mentioned that schools won't be reopened anytime soon.

Arunachal Pradesh, Goa and Maharashtra government has announced that schools will be reopened in their respective states only for students appearing for board exams.

Arunachal Pradesh will start classes from November 16, Goa will begin from November 21 and Maharashtra will resume classes from November 23, 2020.

Also Read: Schools Reopening: Assam To Review Infection Rate Before Reopening Schools For Classes 6–8

Assam, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar were the only four states that had managed to reopen schools without witnessing any positive cases.

Assam education principal secretary B Kalyan Chakravarthy stated that deputy commissioners in each district have been observing the situation.

The Uttar Pradesh government has asked students to visit the school with a consent letter from parents and the attendance was not made compulsory. Hence the attendance was below 20%.

In Bihar, government schools are not yet opened but the private schools are reopened but no cases have been reported yet.

After the schools reopening in Madhya Pradesh, the positivity rate among children increased from 5.6% to 9% between the last week of September and the first week of October 2020.

Also Read: Uttarakhand: State Govt To Reopen Schools For Classes 10, 12 From November 1