Schools, Colleges Reopen In Odisha, 4 Other States As COVID Cases Drop

Bhubaneswar: Almost after a gap of a month, educational institutions in Odisha resumed physical classes on Monday.

Schools have reopened for students of Class VIII and above and so also colleges, ITIs, polytechnics, professional institutions and universities. Hostels in colleges and universities were reopened on Sunday.

Classes for students of standard I and VII, however, will resume from February 14. Students of these classes have not attended school for almost 2 years now due to the pandemic.

The decision to reopen schools was taken amid a steady decline in COVID-19 cases and Omicron cases in the state and early recovery of those infected.

The order further stated that students can opt for offline or online teaching. Educational institutions will have to offer hybrid teaching options to students.

While the class timing for students of Class VIII to XII in schools under the School and Mass Education Department is 10 am to 4 pm, it is 9 am to 1 am for students of Class I to VII.

Physical classes for classes IX to XII have also resumed in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala and Bihar.

In Delhi too, classes for Nursery to standard VIII will resume on February 14.

Notably, the Centre had last week had suggested reopening of schools in districts with a positivity rate lower than 5 per cent.