Schools, Junior colleges in Pune set to reopen from today amid COVID-19 crisis

The district administration and Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad municipal corporations had issued guidelines for the safety of students and teachers on November 20. 

After a gap of more than seven months, the schools and junior colleges in the Pune district are set to reopen from today; i.e. November 23. Classes for students studying in 9 and 10 in schools, and 11 and 12 of junior college will start from today. Earlier, Maharashtra School Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad said that local authorities will make a decision on reopening schools in respective areas after assessing the coronavirus situation.

The district administration and Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad municipal corporations had issued guidelines for the safety of students and teachers on November 20. The district administration has also asked the school managements to take prior consent of parents. "Schools will have to provide thermal scanners/guns, pulse oxymeters, hand wash soaps, and ensure that school premises and classrooms are cleaned with disinfectants," said the guidelines.

As per the guidelines issued by the district administration, only one student will sit on each bench. It is also mandatory for all the teachers and non-teaching staff to undergo COVID-19 test.

Milind Naik, Principal, Jnana Prabodhini Prashala said that all safety protocols are being followed before the school reopens. "There will be a total of 160 students of class 9 and class 10 and they will be coming to school only for practicals and co-curricular activities between 4 and 5.30 pm," he said. Curriculum activities will continue online as earlier.

"All our teachers have undergone COVID-19 tests and all results are negative," said Naik. But some schools are not going to reopen on Monday. "Though we are prepared to implement international- standard safety measures, we will not be starting classes on November 23. We first need to overrule the possibility of any spike in infections in the city post-Diwali," said Praneet Mungali, a trustee at Sanskriti Group of Schools.

"We will have a detailed dialogue with all stakeholders including our students, parents to determine the next course of action by consensus," he said.

Pune district collector Rajesh Deshmukh said there are over 18,000 teachers of classes 9 to 12 in the district. "So far over 3,000 teachers have undergone COVID-19 tests," he said.

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