Schools likely to close from March 1 amidst COVID-19 case surge, informs Varsha Gaikwad

Maharashtra School Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad on Thursday, February 25, took to Twitter to inform that due to the spike in COVID-19 cases, the administration has decided to keep the schools shut from March 1, 2021, if the need arises.

राज्यातील काही जिल्ह्यातील कोरोनाचा वाढता प्रादुर्भाव पाहता स्थानिक प्रशासनाने जिल्ह्याच्या परिस्थितीनुसार दि.१ मार्च २०२१ पासून आवश्यकता भासल्यास व परिस्थिती नियंत्रणात येईपर्यंत काही काळ शाळा बंद ठेवण्याचा निर्णय घ्यावा, असे निर्देश देण्यात येत आहेत.@CMOMaharashtra @scertmaha

— Varsha Gaikwad (@VarshaEGaikwad) February 25, 2021

Gaikwad further added that the safety of the teachers and the students is a top priority adding that in schools in which there have been reported cases of COVID-19, necessary cleaning and disinfection is being carried out. Moreover, a district-wise review is being conducted by the education officers of all the districts in the state to understand the situation better.

On the other hand, the Maharashtra School Education Minister recently ordered an inquiry into the schools that arbitrarily solicited fees during school closure or expelled students amidst the outbreak of the coronavirus. For the last few months, parents have been protesting for the reduction of school fees on account of financial constraints and economic loss due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Recently, on February 17, around 300 parents of the students studying in private unaided schools of Maharashtra staged a protest at Azad Maidan over fees charged during the pandemic.

With regards to fees in private schools, the government has prepared the Maharashtra Educational Institutions (Fees Regulation) Act-2011 and the Maharashtra Educational Institutions (Fees Regulation) Act-2016. However, difficulties have been reported at the administrative level in enforcing the rules.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had earlier stated that the second wave of coronavirus could be a matter of concern for further disallowing religious, political and social events in the state.