With new Covid-19 cases in Gujarat falling and vaccination picking up, the state government is considering resuming offline classes for children studying in standards 1 to 5 from later this month, according to government officials.
Offline classes were shut in the state since March 2020 when the first nationwide lockdown was announced in the early days of the pandemic. Offline teaching had resumed after a gap of nearly 18 months for students of standards 9 to 12 in July and for standards 6 to 8 from September. In-person teaching is expected to begin for students of standards 1 to 5 after the Diwali vacation ends on November 21.
Education minister Jitu Vaghani said the proposal to resume physical teaching for standards 1 to 5 is under consideration, and consultations are being held with other departments.
“A decision regarding resumption of offline teaching for standards 1 to 5 would be taken soon,” he said.
A senior government official said physical classes could resume immediately after the Diwali vacation ends or in early December.
“It is almost decided to resume the classes, and a decision on the dates would be made soon,” the official said.
Many private schools to have been pressing the authorities for resumption of offline teaching for the lower primary students citing the challenges younger children are facing in online teaching.
The pandemic situation in the state is under control and new cases have stabilised at around 20 a day. As far as vaccination is concerned, nearly 4.5 crore people or 90% of the state’s eligible population has received at least one dose of the vaccine, while 2.75 crore have received both doses.