New Delhi: the reopening of schools and colleges has been a constant matter of concern given the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. And now, as has been allowed by the Ministry of Health and Family welfare, schools and colleges can now reopen post September 21. The notice also added that skill or entrepreneurship training will also be allowed while schools will reopen for those in classes 9-12, that too, on a voluntary basis.
The schools obviously have to be outside containment zones while those in the containment zones, be it students, or staff, will not be allowed. Before all the activities resume, a complete sanitization process will take place and special attention must be paid to those surfaces that will be regularly touched. These are some of the standard operating procedures set by the ministry.
Among other directives, students will only be allowed on a voluntary basis and will have to be guided by the teachers while online classes will go on as have been. Those in school will have to wear masks and also have a letter of consent. Meanwhile, the guidance sessions will not happen all at once and while the SOPs must be followed for those interactions, the students will be given a timeslot to report at.
Meanwhile, other standard procedures like hand sanitization or thermal screening must be followed along with social distancing at all areas. Activities like assembly, sports, and others are not allowed due to crowding while any kind of sharing of items amongst students is also prohibited.
While the SOPs have been issued and the directions have been laid out, it is a matter of concern as to how will the educational institutions function after all, especially given that they were shut for the longest time now.
