Kashmir edu dept mulls reopening of schools next month

To compensate for the academic loss caused by Covid-19 outbreak, the school education department is mulling to reopen schools across Kashmir in June, amid the virus threat.

“We are planning to reopen the schools in the first week of June to avert further loss of the studies,” school education principal secretary Asgar Hassan Samoon told the Hindustan Times.

He said the administration has ordered complete renovation of all schools in Kashmir. “We will soon start whitewashing and fumigation of the school buildings and the same will be completed by the end of this month,” he said.

“Be it turmoil or any other natural calamity, the student community of Kashmir has always suffered. We are trying to bring things back on track,” Samoon added.

Another official said the department was planning to take a call on skipping morning assembly and holding shift-wise classes. “A decision in this regard will be out soon,” he said.

The decision to reopen schools has been taken in view of interruptions caused during online classes due to the poor internet speed, the official said.

In his recent meeting with education officials, J&K Lieutenant Governor G C Murmu directed them to review the department’s functioning and the conduct of online classes, besides distribution of dry ration for midday meals among schoolchildren.

Following the LGs directions, an official communiqué was also sent to the UT school education director stating that all government school buildings should be whitewashed before their opening.