Schools in Maharashtra’s Covid-free villages allowed to start offline classes for Class 8 to 12

There will be no compulsion on attendance in schools and any awards linked to attendance should be discontinued, stated the department directive.

The Maharashtra School Education department has allowed the re-opening of schools in villages which are Covid-free, immediately, with due protocols in place.

Issuing a government resolution in this regard on Monday, the department has said that schools should be started after consultation with parents and in a phased manner, for students from Class 8 to Class 12.

The department has issued a detailed list of instructions, such as students should be called to school on alternate days or in morning/afternoon shifts, only offline lectures should be held for a few core subjects initially, only one student will sit on one bench, six feet gap between two students has to be maintained, not more than 15-20 students should be in each classroom, and hand washing, wearing masks etc should compulsory, among other measures.

There will be no compulsion on attendance in schools and any awards linked to attendance should be discontinued, stated the department directive.

The Education department has asked school managements and local gram panchayats to ensure that prior to opening schools, thorough sanitisation of the premises is done, facilities for hand washing are available, contactless infrared thermometer is available, RT-PCR or rapid antigen tests are done for all school staff, physical distancing norms are followed, posters are put up for using masks, and no social functions or programmes are held in the school etc.

Parents have been advised not to send their children to school if they show any symptoms of flu.

Once schools have started, school managements have been asked to ensured they are cleaned every day and common surfaces like door knobs, latches and stationery are sanitised. Hand wash and water should be available every day and all students should carry their own water bottles. Schools should operate in two sessions wherever student enrolment numbers are high.

The entry and exit timetable of staff and students should be planned well to avoid overcrowding at one time and number of persons using the lift should be limited. Physical distancing norms should be kept in mind while conducting practicals, stated the GR.

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