New Delhi: Amid rising coronavirus cases in Maharashtra, state School Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad has said schools will not reopen in the state before Diwali. “While we are exploring various options, it is clear that schools will not open before Diwali,” Gaikwad said. Senior officials in the state education department echoed similar remarks and asserted that reopening schools under the current circumstances is out of the question, as there is no sign of the pandemic abating. State Higher and Technical Education Minister Uday Samant also said his department does not intend to reopen colleges until the COVID-19 situation is under control. “The situation is grim for students who wish to pursue higher studies abroad, as their future depends on our decision,” he added. With 15,17,434 COVID-19 cases and 40,040 deaths, Maharashtra continues to remain the worst-hit state due to the novel coronavirus. Earlier, the Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led Madhya Pradesh government had announced its decision to not reopen primary and middle schools in the state for now. “We are not going to take the risk of reopening primary (Classes 1 to 5) and middle (Classes 6 to 8) schools after October 15 for now,” said state Education Minister Inder Singh Parmar.
Notably, the Centre had given permission to states to open the schools provided all guidelines and precautions related to Covid-19 are strictly followed. The Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry has also issued Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) which will have to be followed by state governments in case they decide to reopen schools.
