Covid-19 | Education Ministry Releases SOPs For Reopening Of Schools

Digital Desk: As the infection rate of SARS-COVID19 decreases across the country, the central government on Thursday announced a new set of health and safety SOP’s and the states are bound to follow the safety protocols in order to welcome students back to classes. “Revised guidelines for health and safety protocols for reopening of schools and learning with social distancing state-States to decide whether schools required to take consent of students’ parents for attending physical classes, group activities to be done as per SOPs,” the Education Ministry said. According to the Union Health Ministry, 11 states in the country are fully operational in terms of reopening educational institutions following the safety protocols, and 9 states are yet to reopen schools and other educational institutes. Also Read: India’s top diplomat in China not to attend Beijing Winter Olympics: MEA The West Bengal government has issued an order to reopen schools from February 3, 2022, for classes 8-12. The West Bengal government has allowed theoretical classes for students of classes 10 and 12 who are set to appear for board exams this year. The Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE) also confirmed that Maharashtra Board Exams 2022 for both classes 10 and 12 will be held in offline (pen and paper) mode. Earlier, the Center informed that 34 States in the country are recording a decline in Covid cases and positivity rate. However, the government also noted that the states like Kerala and Mizoram are witnessing an increase in the number of cases and positivity.