Centre issues new guidelines, SOPs for reopening schools, check details here

The Centre has issued revised guidelines for health and safety protocols for the reopening of schools.

Representational Image (Credits: PTI)

New Delhi: The Centre has issued revised guidelines for the reopening of schools, colleges and other educational institutions. The Centre, after detailed discussions, issued a number of Covid-19 protocols for reopening educational institutions that can be adapted as needed by States and Union Territories as per their overall Covid situation.

The guidelines have been prepared after consultation with states about the reopening of schools amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

"The SOP’s and guidelines for health and safety protocols for reopening of schools and learning with social distancing are divided into two parts," stated Sweety Changsan, Joint Secretary of the Department of School Education & Literacy. 

The first part of the Centre’s guidelines deal with Health, Hygiene and safety aspects for reopening schools, while the second part is about- learning with social distancing and the aspects related to the delivery of education, such as curriculum transactions, instructional load, timetables, assessment, emotional and mental health and capacity building of stakeholders, etc. 

.@EduMinOfIndia has prepared the guidelines/SOP for the reopening of schools

Proper cleaning & sanitation facilities

Flexible, staggered & reduced timings for different classes

Students willing to study from home with the consent of the parents may be allowed to do so pic.twitter.com/HqXUbXvv6s

— PIB India (@PIB_India) February 3, 2022

School reopening guidelines:  

- Ensuring and monitoring proper cleaning and sanitation facilities in the school premises. 

- Maintaining at least 6-feet distance between students (in the seating plan) in school premises.

- Social distancing is to be maintained at all times in the staff rooms, office area, assembly hall and other common areas. 

- Flexible, staggered and reduced timings for different classes.  

- Schools are advised not to undertake any school events where social distancing will not be possible.   

- All students and staff must come to school wearing a face cover/mask and continue wearing it throughout the day.  

- Social Distancing must be maintained during the distribution of the Mid-Day Meal, under PM Poshan, as students will need to take their masks off.

Earlier, on Thursday, Dr VK Paul, Member (Health) Niti Aayog revealed that the reopening of schools has “now been left to the state government. We explained these guidelines in more detail for the public to know and we hope that using these guidelines, there is a safe way of opening the schools and ensuring physical learning." 

Dr Paul added, "These guidelines are from the union government in the form of advisory to the state governments and the states can take the decision based on their own overall situation using these guidelines as a guiding post. So these guidelines have been updated."

In the latest guidelines, it is clearly mentioned that students willing to study from home with the consent of their parents may be allowed to do so, allowing flexibility in attendance.

Meanwhile, India recorded 1,49,394 new Covid-19 cases, 1,072 deaths in the last 24 hours, pushing the total death toll to 5,00,055, according to the data released by the Ministry of Health on Friday (February 4, 2022). The active cases stand at 14,35,569. The country also recorded 2,46,674 recoveries today, taking the total number of recoveries to 4,00,17,088.

(With agency inputs)