Schools in Jammu and Kashmir to reopen from September 21 on voluntary basis

Schools across Jammu and Kashmir will reopen from September 21, although the students' attendance will be on a voluntary basis.

Jammu and Kashmir authorities have announced that the schools across the Union Territory will re-open from September 21. The authorities also clarified that the students' attendance will be on a voluntary basis. An official said that schools will re-open on September 21 with 50 per cent attendance of staff and students. The attendance of students will be subject to written consent from the parents.

The official said that all Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) will be in place when the schools re-open after such a long gap.

"Up to Class 8th, only 50 per cent staff will report every day, while students of Class IX, X, XI and XII can come on a voluntary basis with 50 per cent attendance. It is up to the parents to decide whether they allow their children to attend the school. Online classes and other aspects of digital education will continue to function," the official said.

Schools, colleges and other educational institutions across the country have been kept closed since mid-March due to coronavirus outbreak. Even before March, schools had remained closed in Kashmir after Articles 370 and 35A were abrogated on August 5 last year.

Earlier, the Jammu and Kashmir administration had announced the decision to reduce the overall syllabus for JKBOSE 10^th Exams 2021 and JKBOSE 12th Exams 2021 by 30 per cent. The decision is taken by the administration of the Union Territory in the light of school closures and curtailed classes due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Along with Jammu and Kashmir, many other states in the country have taken the same decision to reduce the pressure on students who couldn't attend the classes due to same reasons.

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