Telangana closes all educational institutes except medical colleges in view of COVID-19 surge

According to the official reports, the decision applies to all hostels, gurukul schools, government and private educational institutions in the state, except medical colleges.

The Telangana government announced temporarily close down all schools and educational institutions across the state, starting today, i.e. March 24, 2021, considering the increasing cases of COVID-19. The decision regarding the closure was announced by the state education minister Sabitha Indra Reddy on March 23. According to the official reports, the decision applies to all hostels, gurukul schools, government and private educational institutions in the state, except medical colleges. Meanwhile, online classes will continue as usual to avoid disruption of the teaching-learning process.

While announcing the decision the minister said, “After a thorough review of the prevailing situation and keeping in mind the health of students as well as teachers, the government has taken a decision to close all educational institutions in the state from March 24 as a precautionary measure at the request of parents.”

Recalling that other states such as Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat, and Chhattisgarh have already closed their educational institutions, the minister said there is concern among parents due to the rising numbers of COVID-19 cases. The minister also urged people to follow the precautionary laid down by the health ministry earlier, i.e. wearing masks, carrying sanitizer, following social distancing, etc.

Reports suggest that COVID-19 cases in clusters have emerged in residential schools and hostels, evoking a discussion on the closure of educational institutions in prevailing conditions. Currently, there are 3,151 people in Telangana currently under treatment for the virus. The cumulative caseload for Telangana stands at 3,03,867. As many as 1,674 persons have succumbed to the disease so far.

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