After reopening middle, secondary and higher secondary schools for students, the state government is thinking of resuming physical classes for primary sections. The exercise of collecting feedback from rural and urban regions for the same has started, with School Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad meeting chief executive officers (CEO) of zilla parishads on Friday.

Due to the decreasing COVID-19 cases, in-person classes for Stds V to XII have started from October 4. But a decision on the primary sections, from Std I to IV across Maharashtra and Std V to VII in urban areas, is pending because of the cases being higher there than in rural parts. Gaikwad discussed the issue with the CEOs, because primary school education is mostly imparted by ZPs in the hinterland. The general opinion that emerged was that the final call would be taken after Diwali.  
 
Rural schools have been holding classes for Stds V to VII offline with due safety precautions while their urban counterparts have been told to wait. With colleges too, back to physical classes early this week, only the primary and middle schools (in the cities) remain shut offline. Nursery and pre-nursery schools are also closed for offline classes. State-run and private residential schools are also awaiting the order to resume.