JUNIOR CLASS STUDENTS TO COME TO SCHOOL FROM FEB 28 DUE TO RURAL POLLS

Bureau,Odishabarta

Bhubaneswar: Keeping in view the timing of the upcoming panchayat elections, Odisha Government on Thursday said students of classes 1-7 will come to schools from February 28 and not from February 14 as was announced earlier. On-line teachings will continue as before, School and Mass Education Secretary Bishnupada Sethi said in a letter to district authorities.

Elections to three-tier panchayats will take place in five phases on February 16, 18, 20, 22 and 24. “The schools for Standards/Classes 1 to 7, which were scheduled to start from February 14, are allowed to open from the said date and students may not come to school. They can attend online classes.”
“However, all the teachers should come to school and ensure thorough cleaning and sanitisation of the campus. The students should come to attend physical classes from February 28,” the letter said.

The decision was taken in response to the reports of district collectors who had sought additional time to clean school compounds and carry out minor repairs. Stating that the schools for the students and primary and upper primary students had remained closed for nearly two years following the outbreak of Covid-19 in March 2020, the letter said the election process for Panchayati Raj Institutions is currently underway.

A large number of teaching and non-teaching staff of school and education department are undergoing training for conducting the election or are engaged in related works at present, he said. This apart, several school campuses will be used as polling stations which will witness movement of polling personnel and voters. “This may pose risk of Covid-19 infection among the small children,” Sethi said in the letter.

The Government has opened physical classes for the students of classes 8-12 from February 7, but online classes were also allowed.