Schools Likely To Open In Only 8 States And Union Territories In August - Ministry Of Education

Schools Reopening: Schools have been opened in several states, while only eight states and Union Territories are likely to open in August, the Union Education Ministry said in the Lok Sabha on Monday.

Schools Reopening. (File Photo)

Schools Reopening: While the second wave of Corona infection is weakening in the country, there is also a possibility of a third wave. Amidst all this, schools and colleges have once again been opened in many states of the country with the relaxation of lockdown restrictions. Coming to this month, August, only eight states and Union Territories are likely to re-open schools, the government said in the Lok Sabha on Monday.

Ministry of Education informed Lok Sabha about schools re-opening:

According to a written reply shared in the Lok Sabha by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Lakshadweep, Puducherry, Nagaland, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh have reopened schools from August 2. In Andhra Pradesh, schools are likely to reopen by August 16. In the Union Territories, only Lakshadweep and Puducherry have reopened schools for all classes. The rest have approved only classes in Class IX and above.

Goa, Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Ladakh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Odisha, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, etc. are among the States and Union Territories which have not opened schools till August 2.

According to a report in the Indian Express, replying to a question by Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, the ministry said that Nagaland had already opened 11th and 12th schools from July 26. Schools in Haryana have also reopened from July 16 for students of class IX to XII. In the first week of this month, schools have been opened for all grades students in Lakshadweep.  On August 2, Schools have been opened for students from 10th to 12th standard in Punjab, Uttarakhand, and Himachal Pradesh. Schools can be opened by the rest of the states by the end of this month.

Significantly, last week, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports said in a report that closure of schools should not be ignored and a balanced, rational approach should be taken to reopen schools.