State govt plans classes on alternate days or rotation basis

Gearing up to resume classes for students from classes 1 to 8 from November 1, the State government is considering various options, including conducting classes on alternate days or on rotation basis.

After chairing a meeting with all Chief Education Officers to discuss the options, School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi requested parents to send their children without fear. It would be the government’s responsibility to ensure the safety of the students, he added. “It is our responsibility to safeguard the children. Therefore, we request the parents to send their wards to the schools without any hesitation,” he said.

Admitting the difficulty that the teachers would face in ensuring that students, especially those in the elementary classes, the Minister said in the days, it would not be necessary for the students to sit in the class for hours together. “Children will not be asked to come to schools compulsorily,” he added.

A senior School Education Department official added that private schools that have a large number of students in classes from 1 to 12 would be instructed to conduct classes on alternate days or on rotation basis to avoid crowding. Separate SOPs would be issued shortly, he said, adding that school managements would be directed to follow them strictly.

Opinions and suggestions on how to go about with the reopening of schools were collected from teachers, academicians and other stakeholders, the official said. The CEOs have been asked to adopt good suggestions from block level officers, too, he added.

“After the classes begin for elementary and middle level, bridge course will be imparted as done for the high and higher secondary classes,” he said.

Meanwhile, noting that the monsoon season would soon start, Minister Poyyamozhi said, “We have asked CEOs to inspect buildings and electrical connections as schools remained closed for about one and half years.”