Bhubaneswar: Odisha’s School and Mass Education Minister Samir Ranjan Dash has said that the state government has not taken any decision yet on reopening of schools though COVID-19 cases have started falling and will monitor the situation for some more days.
“The focus remains on online classes for now,” Dash said.
The Odisha Abhibhabak Mahasangh, a parents’ body, has demanded starting of offline classes from Class VIII to Plus 2, UG and PG students from February. It has sought the intervention of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
But health experts are not in favour of reopening of schools.
“Cases haven’t come down completely. We need to wait for some more days. Several parameters have to be gauged before relaxing the restrictions. Omicron is highly transmissible and can explode anytime. I don’t think the time has come yet for reopening of schools in Odisha,” said state Public Health Director Dr Niranjan Mishra.
The Centre seems to be keen on reopening schools in a staggered manner and under strict adherence to COVID-19 protocols. It is likely to issue an advisory soon to reopen schools across the country.
Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has asked the National Expert Group to suggest ways and work on modalities to open schools nationwide.
