Govt Schools In Odisha To Admit Students On Phone, WhatsApp

Bhubaneswar:  The state government has decided that admission to Government-run schools will be made either through phone call or WhatsApp.

Neither children nor their parents will be required to visit schools for fulfilling the formalities, stated a standard operating procedure (SOP) issued by the School and Mass Education (SME) department on Thursday.

Admission to Government-aided and unaided recognised schools, madrasas, Sanskrit tols besides, schools affiliated to BSE and CHSE started on June 8 and will be completed by July 15.

The decision has been necessitated by the situation arising out of COVID-19  where social distancing is mandatory, reported The New Indian Express (TNIE). In May, the department had decided to promote all students from Class 1 to 8 in state-run schools.

In case of promotions within a school, the institutions will update the admission register accordingly. Where a student has to move to another school due to promotion, the headmaster will send a list along with the phone numbers of their parents through email or WhatsApp to his counterpart in the other school. In turn, the school, which will admit students will take a telephonic confirmation from parents.

Parents of students who require a transfer certificate (TC), will have to collect and submit it in the new school. Schools that have been converted into TMCs, swab collection centres, or COVID health centres can carry out work related to issuing of TCs or admissions from the nearest Government schools.

For new admission to Class I, information about children has to be collected from Anganwadi centres over the phone or WhatsApp, and headmasters can take confirmation telephonically.

“In the worst case where the presence of a parent is required for new admission, headmasters have been asked to ensure social distancing, mask usage, and hand sanitisation. Parents need to be informed about the timing of admission beforehand to avoid crowding at schools”, said SME Minister Samir Ranjan Dash. Admission will not be allowed in schools within containment zones.