While students of class 10 and II PU will be allowed back on campuses from January 1, they will find the experience different from pre COVID-19 times.
To begin with, only three periods a day will be held, and classes will be held for different standards on different days. Each class is to have no more than 15 students. This staggered approach to reopening schools, which the government announced on Saturday after Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa held a meeting with Ministers and stakeholders, is based on the recommendations made by the Technical Advisory Committee. Every school will have to have an isolation room for children who have or develop symptoms like cold, cough and fever. Measures taken during SSLC examinations such as thermal screening and sanitisation (water and soap) will be put in place. The Departments of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj and Urban Development will take up sanitisation of classrooms in all government schools.
Minister for Primary and Secondary Education S. Suresh Kumar said that a decision on scheduling of board examinations and lessons, if any, are to be omitted and will be taken based on the number of days available to hold classes. “On DD-Chandana, the portions will be completed by this month end, and revision will begin from January,” he said.
Vidyagama scheme
The Vidyagama scheme under which students were able to come to school in small batches but was put on hold, will be restarted on January 1, but only for students from classes 6 to 9. Classes will be held in schools three days a week. The government had initially announced that it would be applicable to students across all classes, but introduced a cut-off based on the recommendations of the advisory committee.
Earlier this week, the TAC had recommended that Vidyagama not be conducted for lower primary students (classes 1 to 5). Students who wish to attend them will have to get a permission letter signed by their parents that also clarifies that their wards do not have any symptoms.
