After a long spell of closure, the Odisha government has decided to reopen schools, colleges, and other educational institutions from February 7. The decision has been made on the back of the improving Covid situation. Announcing the news, Chief Secretary Suresh Mohapatra said that the physical classes will resume for students of Class 8 and above.
Students from Kindergarten to Class 7 might be able to attend physical classes from February 14. Those attending the physical classes must conform to guidelines issued by the State government and strictly follow the Covid norms.
“The decision to reopen schools, colleges and other educational institutions has been taken considering the larger interest of students. For the current academic year, the students can pick whether to attend classes online or offline or in hybrid mode, class promotion of students from KG up to Class 9 will be done on basis of classroom assessment marks. Exams for Class X and XII will be conducted as per the guidelines issued by their respective boards and councils, examinations in higher education institutions, including professional and technical institutions, may be conducted as per the guidelines issued prior to the closure of the institutions”, said the Chief Secretary.
Additionally, colleges and technical institutions will reopen along with their respective hostels. Short term training and skill development centres are also on the list. Educators have welcomed the move and have taken up the responsibility to ensure Covid norms are followed. The students will return to classrooms after almost two years of virtual education.
Notably, schools and colleges have been asked to conduct short-term courses to compensate for the loss of teaching in the past two years.