Schools in Nagaland to reopen for class 5 and above today

Our Correspondent
Kohima, Sep. 30 (EMN): Schools in Nagaland will reopen today for students of classes 5 to 10 with 50% attendance, months after the state government ordered closure of schools in April this year in the wake second wave of coronavirus.

While physical classes had already started for classes 5 to 10 in the rural areas, it will begin in the urban areas from October 1.

Principal Director of School Education, Shanavas C on Thursday urged schools to be ‘extra careful’ and take standard operating procedures ‘seriously’ even as classroom learning in urban areas starts today.

“We will have to be very extra careful,” he said.

“For now, daily positive cases in the state is not much. However, schools need to co-operate with the SOPs, which have been issued and need to take it very seriously, for one’s as well as students’ safety,” the officer added.

Children, particularly the lower classes, have been sitting at home for a long time, he shared, adding that it will affect them psychologically in the long run and cause further learning loss. He encouraged schools to follow SOPs and be in this fight against the pandemic

The principal director went on to say that if positive cases do not increase in the next few days, the state government might even think of reopening classes for junior categories as well.

He informed that school reopening for all classes by November was ‘not confirmed’. Government will have to analyse the situation in October and if it is getting better, schools will reopen for lower classes, he added.

As for monitoring of schools following SOPs, he said that the department is unable to monitor each and every school. However, they receive reports through hard copies and from the office web portal. The reports received cannot be assessed sentence-by-sentence school-wise, he said.

When the team inspects, it is easier for schools to show that they are following SOPs and everything is fine, he said. But once the inspection team leaves and if things go back to square one, then there is no point, he added.

‘We are not trying to fool anyone. It’s for one’s own safety and safety of the children’, he said while encouraging all to follow SOPs.

It may be mentioned that the High Powered Committee (HPC) had on Tuesday announced Unlock-7 till October 31 with more relaxations, including re-opening of school for all classes from November 1.

The government had earlier updated that schools would be allowed to open for students of classes 5 to 10 starting from October 1.