Government to take safety measures before reopening schools for Classes 5-8

The state government of Maharashtra, in a recently taken decision, has decided to start schools for students of class 5-8. This comes after months of lockdown which was imposed due to coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, owing to which the educational institutes and schools were shut for safety.

However, State Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has given the green light to this decision. The meeting to discuss the same was held in the presence of members from the education department, post which, the official announcement was made by the school education minister Varsha Gaikwad. Accordingly, the actual classes of the students will start from January 27, 2021, explained Varsha Gaikwad. 

She took to Twitter to announce the same, with a message that said, In continuation of our plan to reopen schools in a phase-wise manner, today I discussed my department's proposal to reopen schools for std 5th-8th from January 27 onwards with @OfficeofUT ji, he was kind enough to approve it."

In continuation of our plan to reopen schools in a phase wise manner, today I discussed my department's proposal to reopen schools for std 5th-8th from January 27 onwards with @OfficeofUT ji, he was kind enough to approve it. pic.twitter.com/rLie35FsWp

— Varsha Gaikwad (@VarshaEGaikwad) January 15, 2021

 Giving more information in this regard, Varsha Gaikwad said that a request was made to the Chief Minister to start a school for students of class 5-8 through the school education department. Accepting this request, he has directed to start schools from January 27, 2021. 

Adding more, she said that the government will soon issue important  SOPs and guidelines to ensure safety preparations, which the local administration will have to follow. Civic bodies have been given responsibility for this preparation. Besides this, parental consent and teacher's RT-PCR test will be needed before starting the classes, which will be opened with all the measures and precautions.

Varsha Gaikwad also assured the parents that there would be no fault in the health and safety of the students. Schools, colleges and educational institutions in the state are currently closed, and the government was not ready to reopen schools and colleges for security reasons. 

A few days back, the state government had given permission to start classes 9-12, and the district collector and local officials were asked to take a decision on the situation in their respective areas. Following this decision, BMC has decided to keep the schools closed in Mumbai. Decision and discussions regarding the matter will be planned soon.