Odisha Primary School Reopening: Students can also opt to attend online classes

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Government in its latest order had ordered the reopening of primary schools from classes 1-5 from January 3, 2022, informed School and Mass Education Minister Samir Ranjan Dash.

Pointing out that online classes will also continue, Dash said the students can attend offline classes in consultation with their parents or guardians.

As per the directions of the chief minister, the physical mode of teaching will be resumed in about 27,000 schools in the state from next week.

In a series of tweets, in Odia language, the government has said, “The government has decided to reopen about 26,000 schools of the primary classes.” The schools in which Class 10 Summative–1 exams are scheduled to be held between January 5 and January 8, can open by January 10.

“Schools will be open from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., without lunch. Under the lunch plan, the dry food supply program will continue as before,” read another tweet. The primary schools will have to follow the same SOP issued for Classes 6 to 12 as the physical classes for the classes have already resumed in the state.

Meanwhile, the chairman of the Parents’ Association Basudev Bhatt has reacted against the decision of reopening schools and said that the government has taken the decision hurriedly.

He said that while the Health Department has warned of a third wave likely to affect Odisha soon, how the government decided to reopen schools. “The students can be taught later also, but their safety is more important,” he said. He has also urged the government to reconsider this decision amid the Omicron threat.

Also read: Odisha: Primary schools from classes 1-5 to reopen from January 3, 2022