Maharashtra allows schools to reopen for classes 9 to 12 from November 23

The Maharashtra government on Saturday decided to resume physical classroom sessions for Classes 9 to 12 students from November 23, after a gap of nine months since

The Maharashtra government on Saturday decided to resume physical classroom sessions for Classes 9 to 12 students from November 23, after a gap of nine months since they shut owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.

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However, there will be no daily classes as schools have been directed to open every alternate day and that too only for four hours.

In addition, it will not be mandatory for schools to resume physical classes and not even for students to attend in case they are started, officials said.

Students need not come to school and can continue with online classes if their parents do not want to send them.

The decision was taken in a meeting chaired by chief minister Uddhav Thackeray to discuss the proposal of the school education department to resume physical classes and review the standard operating procedures (SOP) prepared by them.

The state government has also made RT-PCR tests mandatory for all teachers before starting schools from November 23.

Also, thermal screenings will be conducted before allowing students to enter schools, said school education minister Varsha Gaikwad.

“RT-PCR tests of all teachers will be conducted by local authorities between November 17 and 22 and only teachers, who will test negative, will be allowed to conduct classes. Thermal screening of all students will be done before they are allowed to enter school and only one student will be allowed to sit on one bench to maintain social distancing,” the school education minister said.

“Classes can be conducted only on an alternate day and they cannot be for more than four hours. Only select subjects such as Maths, Science, where teachers’ help is required, will be taken up for studies and classes for the remaining subjects will be continued online,” she said.

Senior officials said that a consent form has been made mandatory, which has to be filled by parents.

“Physical classes are not compulsory for schools and not even for students as online classes for all subjects will continue,” said a senior official from the school education department.

“Besides, there will be no tiffin breaks as students will not be allowed to carry tiffin. They will have to eat at home and come. Water bottles can be carried by an individual student as there will be no common water filling spots, Gaikwad said.

Thackeray said, “A possibility of a second wave cannot be ignored, thus the next few days after Diwali will be very crucial. The schools that were converted into quarantine centres cannot be closed down even now. The local administration will have to decide if an alternative site can be made available to schools.”

He said that sanitisation of classrooms, screening of staff, students and even parents have to be made. Thackeray asked parents not to send students for physical classes if the student or someone else in the family is unwell due to Covid-19.

The Central government allowed partial reopening of schools for higher standards from September 21, but the state had decided to consider reopening them post Diwali.