In Odisha, offline classes for students of VI and VII to resume from Nov 15

The resumption of offline classes in Odisha comes in the wake of a report by an NGO that the pandemic had not only slowed down the learning process among children but also created a digital disparity among students in urban and rural parts of the state.

Published on: Nov 10, 2021, 20:44:22 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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Offline classes for students of classes VI and VII studying in Odisha schools will begin from November 15, state school and mass education minister Samir Ranjan Dash said on Wednesday.

Physical classes in Odisha schools will be conducted while strictly following all Covid-19 protocols, government officials have said. (HT PHOTO.)

The minister said physical classes will be conducted while strictly following all Covid-19 protocols. “The teaching hours for class 6 and class 7 students will be between 9.30 a.m. and 1.00 p.m excluding Sundays and public holidays. The students will be allowed to attend classes either through the online mode or offline mode in consultation with their parents,” Dash said.

Classroom teaching for students of classes XI and VIII began on October 21 and October 25 respectively. Classes for students of X and XII had resumed earlier from July 26. For students of class IX, the schools reopened on August 16.

The minister said the Odisha government is yet to take a decision regarding reopening of schools for classes I to V.

“Discussion on resumption of physical classes for primary students is underway with the deliberation of every aspect including the Covid-19 situation at present. Reopening schools in a phased manner is a judicious process and a final decision in this regard will be taken soon,” he said.

The resumption of offline classes in Odisha comes in the wake of a report by an NGO that the pandemic had not only slowed down the learning process among children but also created a digital disparity among students in urban and rural parts of the state. The survey titled ‘Paused Classrooms’, carried out by Save the Children and Odisha RTE Forum, said that only about 6 lakh students from among the 60 lakh students in the age group of 6 to 14 years pursuing elementary education in Odisha, attended online classes.

The survey pointed out that the School and Mass Education department did not take into consideration the infrastructure and connectivity issues in rural parts of the state before launching the online education programme.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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