Reopening Of Classes VIII & XI: Schools Must Follow COVID Protocols Strictly, Says DMET

Bhubaneswar: Following the decision of the School and Mass Education Department to reopen the physical classes of Class VIII and XI students, the Health and Family Welfare Department has said the state government will announce the closure of the physical classes if there is a rise in COVID-19 positive cases.

Briefing the media on Saturday, Director, Medical Education and Training (DMET) CBK Mohanty said as the education of the school children has been badly affected for more than one and a half years due to COVID pandemic, the state government has to take steps so that their future is not spoiled.

While some states have already reopened the schools and resumed physical classes of the students, the Odisha government is in the process of reopening the schools in a phased manner.

However, Mohanty made it clear that if the schools do not implement the COVID guidelines properly and there are reports of positive cases, those will be closed immediately as the government will not risk the lives of children.

“After the reopening of the schools and resumption of physical classes, the School and Mass Education Department and the Health Department will maintain regular monitoring of the health of the children. They will also ensure that each teacher must have taken two doses of COVID vaccines,” Mohanty said.

Besides, the parents and guardians will visit the schools at regular intervals to keep a close watch on their children. “As vaccination will be made mandatory for parents, guardians and teachers, efforts have to be made to raise the awareness among the children to stay themselves protected from the virus,” he pointed out.

As notified by the School and Mass Education Department, offline classes for Class XI students will begin from October 21 and that for Class VIII from October 25.

As informed by the School and Mass Education minister Samir Ranjan Dash, the children are interested to come to the schools at a time when the pandemic situation in the state still prevails.

Asked about the commencement of classroom teaching of the children from Class I to VII, he said a decision in this regard will be taken very soon.

Also Read: Reopening Of Schools In Odisha: Know The Timings For Class VIII, XI; No Cooked Midday Meals