The central government has allowed the states to open schools from October 15. The 54-page guidelines on how to open a school and what kind of arrangements should be there have been released on October 5.
The Center has also clarified when the school is to be opened, the decision will be taken by the state government. Thus, most of the state governments have given the collectors the right to decide to open a school in view of the transition to Koro.
In which state will the school open from when?
The central government has given guidelines to allow the opening of phasewise schools after October 15, but the final decision will rest entirely with the states. This means that a separate school opening date will be announced in each state. Some states are going to give this right to the district.
The Delhi government has decided not to open the school in October. Similarly, the UP government has left the decision to the districts, where the Collector will take a decision based on the situation of Kovid-19. The picture is not yet clear in many states, including Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana and Chhattisgarh.
Which standard will be opened first?
Nothing is clear in the new guidelines of the central government. This decision can be taken by the state government. It has been said that schoolbags should not be banned for students in Std 1 to 5 if possible.
The Union Home Ministry had in September allowed students from Std 9 to 12 to meet teachers at the school. This is how the state government can give preference in the period of Unlock 5.0 and initially the school can be opened for the standards of higher education.
If a state wants a school for young children to be opened first, it will not be a problem for the Union Ministry of Education. However, if a child wants to study online from home, the school will allow it.
What will happen to attendance? Will the opening of the school require the children to go to school?
The guidelines of the Union Home Ministry and the Ministry of Education clearly state that students cannot be forced to attend classes. Attendance will also not be required. This will be decided entirely with the consent of the parents.
In a school that does not have an online education system, teachers have to talk to students and parents and make sure that their children's studies move in the right direction. Not only that, the school has also been denied the Perfect Attendance Award.
Do students have to take the exam? What will happen to the exams?
According to public guidelines by the Ministry of Education, there will be no assessment of any kind for at least two-three weeks after the school opens. When they take the exam, not all the standard exams will be taken in pen and paper text format.
Assessment will be based on role play, choreography, class quiz, games, brochure designing, presentation, journals, portfolio, which will be used instead of commonly used pen and paper text format exams.
How safe will the children be at school?
Children will only go to school when their parents approve of them in writing. If parents want their children to study at home, the school will have to approve it. If the child is sick in this way, the parents have to inform the school.
Instructions have also been given that the school campus should be cleaned continuously. Similarly, it has been said to disinfect places where there is a lot of movement of children. Children are often asked to wear a mask and follow social distance to sanitize.
It is advisable to call the class in shifts to observe social distance in the classroom and at the time of entry-exit in the school. Students who have more children in the class are advised to call Odd-Even.
