Schools in Haryana which were set to reopen today, December 1, will continue to remain shut in the wake of the new variant of Covid-19 called Omicron. The state government has withdrawn the decision to reopen physical classes for the time being and online classes will be conducted in the meantime.
Schools were to reopen with full strength today. Haryana Education Minister Kanwarpal Gurjar has now officially confirmed the decision to keep schools closed, however, the final decision remains in the hands of the schools as they will decide to depend on the number of students they want to call and how many students continue to study online.
Also read| 42 Students Test Positive for COVID-19 at Telangana Residential School, to be Tested for Omicron
Haryana had earlier reopened schools in a phased manner starting with classes 6 to 12 in July. Thereafter, schools were reopened for classes 4 and 5 from September 1 and classes 1 to 3 from September 20. Students were asked to carry written permission from their parents. They were also asked to maintain all social distancing rules.
Even though the new variant is not found in India yet, after the WHO guidelines, countries across the globe are being cautious. While masks have been put back up in UK, in India the school reopenings have been deferred. Yesterday, Maharashtra too had postponed reopening physical classes till December 15.
Read| After Reopening with 100% Capacity, Madhya Pradesh Schools to Decline Student Strength to 50%
Meanwhile, post-Diwali due to a rise in the air pollution levels, schools in some parts of Haryana were closed from November 15. Schools in Gurugram, Faridabad, Sonipat, and Jhajjar were shut down.
Haryana is not the only state to have shut schools due to the threat of Omicron. Schools in Mumbai and Pune have been closed because of the same reason. Schools in Mumbai which were to reopen from December 1 will remain shut till December 15.
“The Omicron variant of COVID-19 has posed a new threat before us. We need some time to ensure safety and implement precautionary measures. Hence, we have decided to reopen the physical attendance in schools from December 15,” BMC’s education officer Raju Tadvi said. Maharashtra government had earlier allowed schools to reopen for 3-4 hours a day with a capacity of 15-20 students.
Read all the Latest Education News here
Comments
0 comment