Check 3 schools daily after reopening, education minister tells officials

Nagpur: As part of the school reopening plan, state education minister Varsha Gaikwad has directed district-level officials to conduct a daily survey of three schools to ensure all safety protocols are followed. On Friday, Varsha also held a review meeting in a virtual mode with state officials to discuss his preparations for Monday.

Schools in Nagpur will not open at all till the date of 26 January. The decision regarding this will be taken after reviewing the corona situation.

It is also being reiterated that the permission from the state to reopen the school is not at all an ‘instruction’ to the local authorities. Whatever the state government has done, they have transferred the decision-making power to the local authorities. Because of this, it is ultimately the local bodies that will decide whether the schools under their jurisdiction will once again reopen or not.

Varsha has said in a publicly released statement that most of the districts have shown readiness to start the school from Monday. She has also said that she has reviewed preparations for the reopening of the school with district education officials, municipal officials, and health officials. She has directed the administration of the district to take a decision regarding reopening based on local circumstances.

Students to get vaccinated

Varsha has said that he has also been directed to set up a special cell to coordinate with the district administration for providing daily data regarding reopening, vaccination status, and health data of students. Simultaneously, he has asked the district education officials to visit at least three schools daily to conduct the re-survey.

She also said that the District Education Officers are in constant touch with the Collectors and CEOs of the respective areas to ensure the safe restoration of schools. Varsha has stressed on the high need for students to get vaccinated. It is heartening to know that covid vaccination for 15-18-year-old students is progressing at a very fast pace. Varsha urges parents to get their children vaccinated against COVID to ensure safe schooling.

The minister has also said that the safe restoration of schools is his priority. She appeals to all the stakeholders to come together to ensure continuing education in a safe manner.

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