Schools will not reopen in Maharashtra till Diwali

The Maharashtra government has decided not to reopen schools at least till Diwali, which falls on November 14, against the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic. The

The Maharashtra government has decided not to reopen schools at least till Diwali, which falls on November 14, against the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic. The decision came after the Central government, in guidelines issued on September 30, allowed state governments to take a decision on reopening schools, colleges, educational institutions and coaching institutions after October 15, in a graded manner. It, however, also said that online and distance learning should continue to be the preferred mode of teaching and be encouraged.

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A senior official, who did not wish to be named, said the cabinet decided not to allow schools to open till Diwali festival. “The state has experienced a surge in cases after the Ganesh festival. There are chances that it may happen again as both Dussehra and Diwali are at a gap of 20 days only,” he said.

“Though Covid-19 situation in the state has improved, we will have to take precautions as there are countries that have started facing a second wave of the pandemic. Also, we have seen the experience of Andhra Pradesh before us, where many school students have tested positive. We cannot risk the lives of students,” said a senior minister, requesting anonymity.

Around 27 students of classes 9 and 10 in two schools have tested positive for coronavirus in Vizianagaram district of Andhra Pradesh. While the schools were to reopen from November 2, the students were reportedly attending classes informally with parents’ consent, according to news reports.

Meanwhile, chief minister Uddhav Thackeray also directed the school education department to take review on the progress of online classes allowed by the state. On June 15, as the new academic year began for schools in the state, the state government approved a set of SOPs (standard operating procedure) to ensure uniformity in the conduct of online learning across the state.