Frontlist News | Karnataka School Reopening: Classes 9-12 students prohibited from visiting schools

Frontlist News | Karnataka School Reopening: Classes 9-12 students prohibited from visiting schools
on Sep 21, 2020

Karnataka schools and pre-university colleges would reopen from September 21. No regular classes would be conducted in the state. Students of classes 9 to 12 have been barred from visiting schools

The Government of Karnataka on September 19, 2020, prohibited Classes 9 to 12 students from visiting schools and pre-university colleges to meet teachers amid the pandemic Schools and pre-university colleges in Karnataka will reopen from September 21, as per Unlock 4.0 guidelines. The state education department has decided not to conduct regular classes. As per an earlier statement issued by the government, the students were allowed by the education department after COVID-19 cases in the state had come down. “However, as the pandemic continues to rage the state, the state government felt it was not safe to call students to colleges or schools to meet teachers,” the government said. This decision was taken in the meeting attended by Education Minister S Suresh Kumar with the department of education of Karnataka. Kumar while speaking to reporters said, “From September 21, teachers of Class-9, Class-10, Class-11 and Class 12, will be present in the school to clear the doubts of the students related to their studies. It will not be like regular classes.” He more added that the regular classes would not be resumed under any circumstances and that the state government is waiting for the green signal from the center to resume regular classes in the state. While speaking about the challenges before the department this year, Kumar said every year 10 lakh students used to enroll by June, which did not happen this year. Hence a target has been fixed to complete the enrolment procedure by September end, PTI reported. As per the SOPs released by the central government, schools will have to follow generic preventive measures like physical distancing, mandatory use of face covers/ masks, frequent hand washing and self-monitoring of health, and reporting of any illness to the authority. The conduct of classes in open spaces within the school campuses will be encouraged if the weather permits. Mandatory hand hygiene (sanitizer dispenser) and thermal screening provisions to be made at the entrance. Strict regulation of visitors to the school has to be maintained and followed, as per the SOPs. Meanwhile, the state government has decided to reopen Karnataka degree colleges from October 1, 2020. The academic year however commenced on September 1 through online classes. Deputy Chief Minister and Higher Education Minister C.N. Ashwath Narayan said in August that the state government was waiting for the Central guidelines regarding the resumption of offline classes.