Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee Said on Monday that schools and colleges in the state would reopen from November 16 after a gap of about 20 months, and directed the chief secretary to facilitate the process.
An official of the School Education Department said that the government will issue a notification for the resumption of class teaching from classes IX to XII. Decision regarding reopening of schools for other classes will be taken later on emergency basis COVID-19 situation, the official said.
A source in the state secretariat said plans are being made to resume physical classes in colleges.
At an administrative review meeting at Uttar Kanya, the state government’s branch secretariat in Siliguri in the north, Banerjee told chief secretary HK Dwivedi, “Schools and colleges will reopen from November 16. Before that, you have to do cleanliness and other measures there.” Bengal.
The chief minister had said earlier in the day that educational institutions would reopen from November 15.
“Earlier, I had said that educational institutions would reopen on November 15. But since he is a holiday (tribal freedom fighter.) Munda Birsabirth anniversary), schools will now reopen on November 16,” she said.
Schools and colleges have been closed in the state since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in March last year.
“As per the initial plans, online classes of students of junior classes will continue till class 8 and they are not required to be physically present in the schools. Plans are being made to reopen the colleges,” a highly placed source in the state secretariat told PTI.
Meanwhile, doctors and academicians welcomed the decision to reopen educational institutions.
“Children are eagerly waiting for the schools to reopen. It was needed for a long time. But we must also not forget about the necessary precautionary measures for children attending physical classes.” Renowned Gastroenterologist Dr Abhijit Choudhary said.
Senior doctor Dr Shyamasis Bandyopadhyay said, “Online classes are like a child’s play. I thank the CM for taking such a positive decision. Children are eagerly waiting for the school-college to reopen. Now that the decision has been taken, I am sure it will help them a lot.”
Academics said that the institutions should be reopened in a phased manner.
“The students have suffered a lot due to the closure of educational institution campuses for more than one-and-a-half years. CM’s decision is welcome. But since the Covid situation is still not gone and there has been an increase in infections in the state, we need to tread carefully. Schools should be opened in a phased manner,” said educationist Narsingh Prasad Bhaduri.
Ranjana Roy Chowdhury, headmistress of Manimala High School in Asansol in West Bardhaman district, said that students of higher and lower classes should be allowed to attend classes on different days to avoid crowding.
Parimal Bhattacharya, headmaster of Kolkata’s Jadavpur Vidyapeeth, said the school administration has taken steps to sanitize the premises ahead of the puja holiday.
“We are planning to start higher classes in groups and make seating arrangements accordingly. We will go as per the notification of the School Education Department.”
Siuli Sarkar, principal of Lady Brabourne College, Kolkata, said, “We are ready to open our campus for offline classes, where students will sit at a distance and in small batches. We will decide on the modalities after the government order is issued.
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