Maharashtra schools reopen for physical classes after 18 months

Schools across Maharashtra resumed physical sessions for classes 5 to 12 on Monday after being shut for over 18 months in the wake of the Covid19 pandemicUntil now schools were conducting physical classes only in those areas which were reporting relatively fewer Covid19 casesLast month Maharashtras School Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad had announced that physical classes will resume in schools across the state and the government also issued standard operating procedures SOPs for itOn Monday morning the minister in a tweet said Wishing all parents and students the very best as schools reopen across the state today We hope you enjoy your first day back in a safe atmosphereAccording to the Maharashtra government physical sessions have started for classes 5 to 12 in rural areas and for classes 8 to 12 in urban areas of the stateBut the physical classes have not yet been resumed for classes 1 to 4 in rural areas and for classes 1 to 7 in urban areasThe Maharashtra education department conducted a meeting on Sunday to take stock of the situation before resuming physical classes in schoolsFor a smooth transition to physical classes effective coordination with the health department local administration will have to be maintained We are committed to providing a conducive atmosphere to students many among whom will be returning to class after a year and a half Gaikwad had tweeted after the meetingAs per SOPs issued by the state government for the reopening of schools it is not mandatory for students to attend physical classes If they want to attend they will have to submit consent letters from their parentsGaikwad last month said that as per a survey conducted by the school education department more than 70 per cent parents favoured reopening of schoolsIn Maharashtra physical classes in schools were stopped in March 2020 after the outbreak of the Covid19 pandemicThe state government in July this year allowed schools to restart physical classes in the rural areas where Covid19 prevalence was negligible The decision mainly benefited the states Vidarbha region but schools in major cities like Mumbai and Pune remained closedThe latest decision was taken after consulting health officials as well as the state governments Covid19 task force Gaikwad earlier saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever