Tatsat Chronicle Magazine

Uttarakhand: Schools will return for classes 1 to 5 on September 21

September 21, 2021
Picture Credit: (Flickr, Trinity Care Foundation)

The Uttarakhand government has chosen to reopen schools for grades 1 through 5, following COVID preventive protocols such as thorough sanitization of all facilities

After being closed for months because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Uttarakhand department of school education issued a directive on Saturday indicating that primary schools in the state will resume for classes 1-5 on September 21. According to the decree, sessions would only last three hours per day and children will not be permitted to bring food to school. Students in these classes will also have the option of pursuing their education online, according to the ruling. The school administration will have to ensure that the entire campus, including classrooms, offices, libraries, and restrooms, is properly sanitised.

Students and staff will be required to wear masks and ensure physical separation. Each school will have a nodal officer to guarantee that the COVID-19 process and guidelines are followed. Students must have their parents’ permission to attend school. Additionally, schools will teach in a hybrid style, allowing students to attend both online and offline classes, depending on their preferences. To maintain social distance, courses will be separated at different times so that the main gate does not become crowded. There are a total of 282 active COVID-19 cases in the state. COVID-19 is responsible for 2.15 percent of deaths in the state.

The state education department issued a decree outlining the school’s standard operating procedures (SOPs). Students will not be allowed to bring meals from home, and schools will be allowed to hold classes for three hours every day. If students do not wish to start physical classes right once, they will be able to complete their study online. To resume offline classes, students will need a signed permission letter from their parents.

Schools have also been urged to keep different classes’ entry and exit times staggered to ensure that social distance rules are observed at the main gate during admission and departure. If pupils take public transit to school, the education department has requested schools to guarantee that the mode of transportation is sanitised on a regular basis.