Haryana school to reopen classes 9-12 from July 16

Chandigarh: The government of Haryana issued an order last week to gradually restart offline classes for students from Friday, July 16. According to Haryana’s chief minister’s office (CMO), students of classes 9 to 12 can resume classes from Friday, while classes 6 to 8 will return on July 23.

The government has not yet decided whether to resume offline classes for students of classes 1 to 5, although state education minister Kanwar Pal said that it is considering options.

Schools in Haryana have been instructed to adhere to all Covid-19) protocols after reopening. According to guidelines issued by the Union education ministry and the Union ministry of home affairs, school officials must enforce appropriate behavior in the school facility, including the use of face masks, sanitizers and maintaining social distancing.

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Earlier this month, Haryana education minister Kanwar Pal had announced the reopening of schools in the state and said that attendance of offline classes is completely voluntary and depends on parents. For those who do not wish to physically attend their classes, online classes will continue as usual. The minister clarified that students who do not attend offline classes will not be marked ‘absent.

Meanwhile, Congress has intensified its attacks against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government in the state for the decision to reopen the schools. The Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee president Selja Kumari said resuming offline classes is irresponsible ahead of a potential third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. On the other hand, the government has said that if a dire situation arises, the decision to suspend the classes will be taken immediately since the lives of students are of paramount importance.