Amid the receding scale of the second wave of coronavirus, the state of Madhya Pradesh has decided to reopen schools for classes 11 and 12 from July 26. The Chief Minister announced that students will attend offline classes at 50% capacity, initially. Besides, pupils will attend schools in two batches to maintain the norms of social distancing effectively.
Students to attend schools in batches, on alternate days
Schools across Madhya Pradesh have been directed to implement the first phase of reopening, from July 26. Only class 11 and 12 students have been presently permitted to attend schools. Reportedly, educational institutes have been asked to pay heed to all pandemic appropriate protocols to prevent the rise of a ‘third wave’.
As such, students of the two classes will be divided into two batches. Alternately, both batches will attend schools; i.e out of the four working days in a week – one batch would study on two days and the second, for the remaining two days. If the strategy works, classes for junior standards will also be commenced on similar lines.
Talking to reporters on Wednesday, the CM said, “Covid is under control in the state, we are keeping an eye on the situation. All activities are being started. Preparations are afoot to deal with the third wave, taking utmost precautions. At the same time, due to the closure of schools and colleges, children are not able to study for a long time, as online and virtual classes cannot match the physical classes. Children are getting frustrated too. That is why we are starting the process of opening schools and colleges.”
The state has clocked in a significant dip in the number of COVID cases for the last few weeks. Virus hotspots like Bhopal and Indore have also started to abide by the declining trend now. Presently, Indore is nursing only 130 active coronavirus cases.
