Maharashtra schools to reopen from October 4: Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad

Maharashtra education department has received approval from chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on the decision of reopening schools for Classes 8 to12 in urban areas and Classes 5 to 12 in rural areas.

Maharashtra School Reopening: The government of Maharashtra on Friday, September 24, 2021, decided to reopen schools for all from October 4. According to TOI, the education minister of the state, Varsha Gaikwad said that the education department has received approval from chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on the decision of reopening schools for Classes 8 to12 in urban areas and Classes 5 to 12 in rural areas.

Considering the health and safety of students and staff members, the state has prepared an exhaustive standard operating procedure (SoP) with the help of the pediatric task force, Gaikwad told TOI. The COVID-19 task force and the state health department have also approved the decision of reopening schools in the state, Gaikwad said. The minister also added that they have empowered local authorities to take decisions at their level based on the local situation. "We had several meetings with the task force and have come out with an exhaustive SOP to provide a safe environment for the students," she said.

Meanwhile, as reported earlier, the education department of Maharashtra has also decided to roll out a couple of mobile applications in order to track school students who have fallen behind due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the resultant shift to online education. State education commissioner Vishal Solanki also confirmed that two organisations, Tata Trust and UNICEF have come forward with mobile apps. “A pilot has been conducted of one of the apps in a few blocks by the block education officer and teachers, and early feedback has been encouraging. The pilot is being done to iron out any minor issues before rolling it out across the state,” he said according to Indian Express.

Read More: