Schools in Uttar Pradesh may reopen for classes 6-8 from September 1

Schools for classes 9-12 are scheduled to reopen from August 16.

With schools across Uttar Pradesh set to reopen for classes 9-12 from next week, the Yogi Adityanath-led state government is now likely to allow reopening of schools for lower standards as well. According to Hindustan Times’ sister publication Live Hindustan, Adityanath has directed officials to begin admission procedure for classes 6-8 in schools under the Uttar Pradesh Basic Education Council.

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“Classes can resume from September 1 after analysing the current situation of the coronavirus pandemic in Uttar Pradesh,” the chief minister was quoted as saying in a review meeting of Team-9, a government panel leading the state’s fight against the coronavirus disease (Covid-19). The panel is headed jointly by state health minister Suresh Khanna and medical education minister Jai Pratap Singh.

Earlier, the state government had given permission for secondary schools to resume offline teaching for classes 9-12 from August 16. For this, CM Adityanath issued instructions to vaccinate all students aged 18 and above by organising vaccination camps on school/university/college premises. Schools had reopened earlier this year but the resumption turned out to be brief as the state, along with the rest of the country, was hit by a devastating second wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

Now, with the second wave having largely receded, schools in several states have reopened for senior classes, while other states, too, have announced the schedule for resumption of on-campus classes. Among Uttar Pradesh’s neighbouring states, schools reopened partially for classes 10 and 12 in Delhi on August 9.

On the Covid-19 front, Uttar Pradesh logged 27 fresh infections on the day, news agency ANI quoted medical education minister Khanna as saying. “Saturday lockdown should be lifted, night curfew will continue,” Khanna added.