MADURAI: The Tamil Nadu government on Tuesday informed the Madras high court that school students would not be compelled to attend physical classes and would be permitted to opt for online classes as an alternative.
The court was hearing a public interest litigation filed by K Abdul Vahabudeen of Tirunelveli district seeking a direction to permit the students to opt for attending classes online. The petition was filed following the state government's decision to reopen schools for students from classes IX to XII on September 1.
The petitioner stated that most of the parents are in fear of sending their schools for physical classes in the absence of Covid-19 vaccination for children below 18 years. Since there are apprehensions about the third wave of Covid-19 pandemic, the students should not be compelled to attend physical classes, he stated.
Advocate general R Shanmugasundaram, appearing for the state, submitted that the government had taken a decision to reopen the schools by taking all precautionary measures and by strictly following the Covid-19 standard operating procedures.
He submitted that the school education department had passed a GO on August 26, wherein it was stated that online distance mode of learning would continue.
As per the GO, the students willing to continue education from their homes would be permitted to do so with the consent of their parents. He further submitted that the students would not be compelled to attend physical classes and would be permitted to opt for online classes as an alternative.
Taking cognizance of the submissions, a division bench of justices M Duraiswamy and K Murali Shankar directed the state government to file an affidavit in this regard and adjourned the case to September 7.
