Parents have the option of sending students to school.
The Karnataka government on Wednesday issued a series of new guidelines for restarting schools for grades 10 and 12. In addition, guidelines for restarting the Vidyagama program for grades 6 through 9 have been published. According to the guidelines, for students in grades 10 and 12 the school will start on January 1st and for grade 11 it will start on January 15th. The Vidyagama program for students in grades 6 through 9 begins on January 1 and for grades 1 through 5 on January 15. Parents can choose to send students to school from this data.
The decision to reopen the schools will be reviewed on December 28-29 after the new strain of the virus emerges. Teachers must obtain a COVID-19 negative test certificate before returning to teach in schools.
The guidelines stated that classes would take place in two shifts – from 10 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. and from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on alternate days for students in the Vidyagama program. Regular courses for grade 10 students take place daily from 10 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. School authorities are free to adjust the schedule to suit their needs.
The guidelines also specified the strict implementation of the COVID-19 distancing rules and the use of methods that will be used when conducting exams in schools this year. If a student or teacher shows symptoms of COVID-19, they will be isolated in a room in the school and the district health authorities will be notified immediately.
Teachers over the age of 50 must use face protection in addition to a mask. Students and teachers are encouraged to bring water from home to drink. Health Minister K. Sudhakar said the state government’s main intention is to protect the interests of children and parents. “We are also planning another round of the sero-surveillance survey to understand the trend and spread of the pandemic in the state,” he said.
The state’s college and engineering colleges reopened on November 17, while the medical and paramedical colleges reopened on December 1, after closing for nearly nine months due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
State students in the state, unlike their counterparts in private schools, did not have online education. The Vidyagama program, which began earlier this year, was shut down in October following reports of COVID-19 cases.