State government on Tuesday had to partially amend its earlier decision to reopen all government and private schools from Wednesday, with Telangana High Court passing interim directions in a PIL petition over reopening of schools.
Earlier, it was decided to reopen all government and private schools and conduct physical classes for students of all standards unconditionally. With the HC passing interim directions, the government announced that “no child should be compelled by any school management to physically attend classes if his or her parent was not inclined to send the child to school”.
The interim instructions were passed by a a bench of Acting Chief Justice M.S. Ramachandra Rao and Justice T. Vinod Kumar after hearing a PIL plea challenging government’s decision to reopen schools. Actually the petitioner, Mandapati Bala Krishna, requested the HC to declare conducting physical classes for students of all pre-primary and primary schools arbitrary and set aside the decision.
The bench, however, decided to expand the plea’s scope covering all school-going children. In compliance with the bench’s order, the government left it “open to school managements to have only physical classes, only virtual classes or both”. In the backdrop of reports that school managements were obtaining undertakings from parents to absolve them of any liability in the event of a student contracting coronavirus while in the school, the government declared that such undertakings would have no legal sanctity.
School Education Secretary Sandeep Kumar Sultania, in a memo issued in conformity with HC orders, instructed School Education Director to prepare Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all school managements organising physical classes within a week. These SOPs would be publicised widely through print and electronic media.
While all schools were permitted to reopen from Wednesday, all government residential schools with hostel facilities, including those run by Social and Tribal Welfare departments, were barred from reopening for four weeks. The division bench headed by Acting CJ observed that government failed to explain in its memo about safety measures taken in residential schools with hostels.
When Advocate General B.S. Prasad requested the bench to lift the restrictions on residential schools, Acting CJ M.S. Ramachandra Rao said the “government waited for so long and can wait four more weeks”. Issuing notices to the government in the PIL petition, the bench directed it to file counter affidavit.
