The state government has decided to reopen Karnataka schools for board exam students of classes 10 and 12 from January 1, Friday.

Karnataka schools are reopening on January 1, 2021, for students of classes 10 and 12, and attendance would not be mandatory, as per the decision taken by the Karnataka Minister for Primary & Secondary Education S Suresh Kumar.

Students of classes 6 to 9 would continue learning through the Vidyagama programme. The decision to reopen schools for SSLC and PUC board exam students was taken at a high-level meeting on December 19. The final call was supposed to be taken soon and the decision was formally made today to reopen schools from Friday, January 1. Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa has also agreed to the decision.

Around 5.9 lakh students to resume classes

Around 5.9 lakh students study in classes 10 and 12 in government and government-aided schools in Karnataka. Rural students have been facing difficulties in education due to the school closures because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Now that the number of Covid infections have been dropping, the state government decided to go ahead and start reopening schools.

Schools reopening in Karnataka need to follow Covid-19 safety guidelines

As per the formal notice sent out to all district in-charges and minister MLA’s/MLCs, Covid-19 safety guidelines need to be followed by all schools. A detailed SOP will be shared soon with schools which would include the maximum number of students allowed in a class, and the sanitisation routine and temperature checks that need to be followed. Source: India Today