Schools for students in classes 3 to 5 to reopen on February 24

Schools across the state will reopen for students in classes 3 to 5 from February 24 — nearly 11 months after they were closed across the country amid Covid-19 outbreak in March last year. Online classes for students who wish to continue to with remote learning will also continue and they will neither be bound to attend physical classroom sessions nor will their names be struck off the school roll, as per the SOP(standard operating procedure) issued by the education department on Monday.

In the directive shared with all district education officers on Monday, the directorate of education said that the state government had decided to reopen schools for students in classes 3 to 5, while taking cognisance of the importance of learning and classroom lessons for students. Both government and private schools will be allowed to conduct classes of three-and-a-half hour duration from 10am till 1.30pm for students in these classes, as per the directive. Students are also required to produce a parental consent letter for school visits as per the norms.

In a departure from the guidelines that were in place for school reopening for senior classes, the SOP doesn’t mention the requirement of a medical clearance. Schools will, however, continue with thermal scanning and record the daily temperature of students.

Schools across the country were closed in March last year amid the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. Voluntary visits to schools in Haryana for doubt-clearing sessions were allowed from September, followed by regular classes from November 2 for students in classes 9 to 12. Schools were reopened for students in classes 6-8 on February 1.

“At the entrance itself, we will check the temperature and see if students exhibit any visible Covid-19 symptoms or not. Their temperature will be recorded in an app. If anyone has fever or cold, they will not be allowed to enter the school,” said Shyam Raghav, principal of Government Senior Secondary School, Bhondsi. Raghav said that the requirement of a compulsory medical clearance had been waived off on view of the age of children. “We can’t expect children in younger grades to get the health clearance done. It will be a hassle for them. Teachers will be conducting necessary checks in school,” he said.

Most private schools are expected to continue with online classes. Aparna Erry, principal, DAV Public School, Sector 14, said that the school would call students based on feedback from parents and was presently continuing with online classes for students in grades below 10.