RANCHI: The state school education and literacy department is planning to recommend the reopening of schools for students of Classes I-VIII as Covid-19 cases are on a steady decline and the department is preparing a proposal in this regard for submission before the government in the next few days.
The department has asked all the districts to be ready with their preparations in case the government gives its approval.
Currently, offline classes are underway for students of Classes IX-XII.
Talking to TOI on Thursday, department secretary Rajesh Sharma said, “Covid cases have come down drastically now, even though the threat perception isn’t officially over yet. Having said that, we were monitoring the situation after offline classes for students Classes IX-XII resumed almost a month ago and found that there hasn’t been any spike in cases anywhere. We are tracking the situation in other states too where schools have reopened to check if they have reported a spike.”
He added, “We have started our preparations to keep the classrooms ready for physical classes. We have asked schools across all 24 districts to sanitise their buildings and premises. We are also seeking the details of those teachers and staff members who have received both the vaccine doses so that they can be called to office once school reopens. Of course, the approval has to come first and that’ll be given by the state disaster management department in consultation with the health department.”
Ajay Rai, the president of Jharkhand Parents’ Association, said parents will be ready to send their kids to schools only when they feel that it is safe to do so.
“While we realize that the prolonged closure of schools is harmful for children in the long run, at the same time it is to be seen how the state government and the school management is prepared to ensure safety on campus. Right now, only 30% of the students of Classes IX-XII are going to school as parents aren’t sure about their ward’s safety. The school management must instil confidence in the parents with proper arrangements,” he added.
