Buoyed with the decline in COVID 19 cases in the state, Assam's Health and Education Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday announced that the elementary schools in the state, which have remained closed due to COVID-19 will reopen from January 1, 2021.
However, it will be subject to caveat – if the decline in COVID cases continues and with no objection from the parents.
The classes from nursery to primary will start from January 1 in a staggered odd-even formula, but the attendance would not be counted, online classes would continue, government sources added.
Addressing a press conference at Janta Bhawan in Guwahati, Mr Sarma said Assam has so far registered a total of 2,12,617 COVID-19 cases out of which 2,08,283 have recovered from the disease.
“We have decided to reopen our hostel for the final year students of colleges and this includes residential schools. From January 1, we will try to reopen our school classes from nursery to class 5. So, elementary schools will open up if there is no spike in the COVID cases. Already in Assam school and colleges are functional with COVID 19 norms barring elementary schools,” Assam Health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma told NDTV.
Mr Sarma informed that a total of 981 people have succumbed to COVID-19 in Assam so far and COVID-19 situation in the state is under control now.
The minister informed that due to the improvement in the COVID-19 situation in Assam, the temporary COVID care centres, which were set up to accommodate the positive patients, have been closed.
Mr Sarma announced that the college hostels will reopen from December 15 with limitations.
The final year students of the colleges will be able to come to the hostels, the minister said.
Besides, other North-Eastern states have taken diverse decisions on the resumption of classes in schools.
While Tripura and Manipur are yet to decide on reopening of schools on a regular basis, the Mizoram government has announced to shut the schools till the year end to prevent the spread of the virus.
The Meghalaya government has decided to allow schools in rural areas to reopen from December 1 for students of class 6 onwards but with the consent of parents, while schools in urban areas would resume normal classes for students of Class 9 to 12, a government press release added.
