Class 6 to 8 students in Ahmedabad and Gujarat may soon get to go to school after a long hiatus if the cabinet meeting chaired by chief minister Vijay Rupani decides to allow for the physical reopening of classes.
If sources in the government are to be believed the cabinet is likely to give a nod to the physical reopening of schools for classes 6 to 8 after Janmashtami.
According to them, the reopening is likely to be announced from September onwards. Sources in the know said since August has a slew of holidays the state is likely to decide to reopen the schools from September onwards.
The decision is likely to come in the wake of Gujarat recording just a few COVID cases and the number of vaccinated people in the state seeing a steady climb.
It should be noted that as of now colleges, universities and class 9 to 12 school students can attend offline classes, though it is not mandatory.
Earlier education minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama had hinted that classes 6 to 8 may be reopened after August 15. Primary schools in Gujarat have been shut and education has moved online since March 2020 when the first COVID lockdown was announced. The association of primary schools in Gujarat is also keen to get schools reopened on a rotational basis. Physical classes for 9 to 11 began from July 26 onwards while Class 12 and colleges were reopened from July 15 onwards.
The reopening was accompanied by a host of guidelines and SOPs including masks and hand sanitisers being made mandatory for students. Physical distancing was also made mandatory and parents were given the choice not to send their children to school and instead opt for online education.