Nagpur: On Tuesday, the state government officially issued the notification allowing schools to reopen from November 23 onwards. The decision, announced a few days ago by CM Uddhav Thackeray, is applicable only to Std IX-XII and attendance is not mandatory.
But there is a complete ban on organizing any event on the campus. This includes cultural, sports, or the annual functions in schools. Only parents-teachers association meets can happen, but that too online.
The notification, however, is silent on who will fund Covid-19 sanitization costs in aided and government schools. Ravindra Fadnavis, executive member of an association which represents trusts that run schools, said they expect the government to acknowledge their concerns. “We wrote to CM Uddhav Thackeray citing our financial inability to reopen schools. As per the information received, the letter has been forwarded to the school education department. Unfortunately, no reply has come,” said Fadnavis. TOI had reported on Tuesday about the association’s demand for Rs1 lakh per 500 students. These aided schools remain firm in their stand of not reopening till the funds are provided.
The notification on school reopening mentions safety guidelines to be followed along with a reminder that attendance cannot be forced. The notification reiterated that students can attend school only after written consent from parents.
The SOPs for school reopening had been issued some time back, and the same will remain in effect. In the previous SOP list, schools had been asked to ensure the sanitization of the premises on a daily basis. Also, parents have been urged to not send their children to school if they have a fever. Schools have been requested to form groups with parents and teachers to monitor safety, cleanliness, etc on the campus. Apart from regular schools, ashramshalas, too, have been given the green nod to start their residential campuses.
