The chief minister on Monday announced that in-person classes in schools for students from classes VIII to XII and in colleges and universities would resume from February 3, a month after all campuses were shut following a fresh surge in Covid cases.
“Schools for students of Classes VIII, IX, X, XI and XII, colleges and universities will reopen from February 3…. Holidays will be observed on February 4 and 5 on the occasion of Saraswati Puja,” the chief minister said at Nabanna.
The relaxation, she said, is being granted following a dip in Covid cases.
Students from classes V to VII will be asked to attend classes in open-air facilities from February 7 as part of the “Paray Sikshalay” initiative, she said.
The government clarified later that students from the pre-primary level to Class VII will be included in the open-air class project.
Hours after the announcement on Monday, the principal secretary of the education department issued an order that said: “All the learners from pre-primary to Class VII enrolled in all the government-aided schools…. Shall be included under the Paray Shikshalay programme.”
Students of colleges and universities, most of whom are fully vaccinated, can be called irrespective of their class, said an official of the department.
The chief minister’s announcement came three days after Bengal’s advocate-general S.N. Mookherjee submitted in the high court on Friday that the state government was eager to reopen educational institutions at the earliest but was waiting because 85 per cent of the students were yet to get a single dose of a Covid vaccine.
An education department official said students from classes VIII to XII would be brought back to the campus because “we want to restore normality” with strict adherence to the safety protocol.
“Schools in states like Maharashtra have reopened. Bengal’s Class X and XII board exams are due in March and April, respectively. If the schools reopen now, the students of Classes X and XII, who hardly attended any in-person classes since March 2020, can attend remedial classes. But the Covid protocol have to be followed,” the official said.
In-person classes for students of classes IX to XII resumed twice since March 2020, only to be suspended again following a renewed surge in Covid cases.
An order issued to the district magistrates by the department says: “You are requested to nominate ADM (education) for the reopening of schools. He may be advised to take all necessary steps for smooth reopening of such schools… following the extant Covid protocol…. Suitable steps be taken immediately for the cleanliness of the schools and making them functional by 2nd February on priority.”
Hostels may be reopened “wherever necessary as decided by the heads of the institutions, strictly following safety and Covid norms”.
An order issued to the heads of the institutions said hostels may be reopened as “deemed fit by HOI” following Covid protocol.
Paray Shikhshalay
Councilors of Kolkata Municipal Corporation have been asked to identify places in their wards where classes under Paray Shikhshalay can be held.
Open areas like parks or large grounds have to be identified, the councillors were told during a meeting.
“The place should have toilets and drinking water facilities,” said Sushanta Ghosh, councillor of Ward 108 and chairman of Borough XII.
