The Education Department of Maharashtra has deferred its decision to reopen schools in view of the objections received from its Covid-19 task force. On 10 August 2021, the state government had announced its decision to reopen from 17 August 2021. Also, a resolution was adopted for this purpose and and detailed SOPs were formulated on restarting classes for students of classes 5 to 12 in rural areas of the state, and classes 8 to 12 in urban areas.
However, a day after making the information public, the state Cabinet put the resolution on hold after the task force unanimously opposed the decision. Reportedly, the roll-back call was taken during a meeting held between officials from the state Education Department, the Covid task force and Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.
Read also: Maharashtra govt resumes efforts to buy Air India building in Mumbai
The decision was put on hold on the grounds that children below the age of 18 are not vaccinated and the impending third wave could impact their health. Also, proper infrastructure at schools for checking temperature of students, aligning benches, and providing soaps and sanitizers for Covid-19 prevention is not in place yet, an official informed.
This was never a blanket decision, state Education Minister, Varsha Gaikwad said while reacting to the roll-back. The final decision was to be taken by the collectors and municipal commissioners of the districts concerned, she clarified. She also ruled out the possibility of any differences between the task force and the Education Department.
According to a survey done by the State Council of Educational Research, around 81 per cent parents want schools to reopen, she went on to clarify. Besides this, teachers also want schools to re-open, as students are missing out on education, she added.
Read also: India unlocks Oracle Cloud benefits for govt, public sector
