Bhubaneswar: The School & Mass Education Department of Odisha has decided to reopen schools for students of Class-VI & Class-VII for the academic session 2021-22 and issued certain guidelines to be strictly followed by all to keep COVID-19 infection at bay.
Additional Secretary to Government, OAS (SAG) Dr Pratap Kumar Mishra, has written a letter to the SPD, OSEPA, Bhubaneswar, SPA, OAVS, Bhubaneswar, the Director, Secondary Education, Odisha, Bhubaneswar and the Director, Elementary Education, Odisha, Bhubaneswar in this regard.
“The government have been pleased to allow reopening of Schools in respect of Class-VI & Class-VI’ of Government, Government Aided and Private Educational Institutions coming under the jurisdiction of S&ME Department ST & SC Development, Minorities and Backward Classes Welfare Department, Social Security & Empowerment of Persons with Disability Department / Private Schools and Privately managed English Medium Schools.,” the letter read.
- Schools for students of Class-VI & Class-VII will reopen from 15th November 2021.
- The teaching hour for Class-VI & Class-VII students will be from 9.30 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. (out of which, 3 (three) hours will be used for teaching) excluding Sundays and Public Holidays.
- The students are allowed to attend classes either on Online mode or Offline mode in consultation with their parents.
- Attendance is not mandatory for students in Offline mode.
- The Hostels are also allowed to open and the Head of the Hostel should ensure that the common area like Mess and Toilet is maintained and sanitized properly at regular intervals.
“The ST & SC Development, Minorities and Backward Classes Welfare Department, Social Security & Empowerment of Persons with Disability Department / Private Schools and Privately managed English Medium Schools may issue additional guidelines if any for better safety of the students/inmates, the S&ME Dept said.
“All the DEOs/ADEOs/BEOs/ABEOs/BRCCs/CRCCs will visit all the schools before the reopening and ensure that the school premises have been cleaned and classrooms including Bench, Desk have been sanitized thoroughly. However, the guidelines issued by Health & Family Welfare Department and SAC-CAM-ACS (DM) from time to time will be followed strictly. Besides, all the stakeholders, are to follow Covid Appropriate Behaviour scrupulously, the letter further mentioned.
