SHILLONG, Oct 28: With the COVID-19 situation in Meghalaya ‘under control’, the state government has decided to reopen classes from 1 to 5 in urban areas from November 1.
The decision was taken following a meeting attended by Education Minister Lahkmen Rymbui, Health Minister James PK Sangma and officials of both the departments on Wednesday.
Talking to reporters on Thursday, Rymbui said the consent of the parents is paramount and they will have a final say on the presence of their children/wards in schools.
The school managing committees will relax the attendance norms and teaching time will be restricted to three-four hours per day. Only 15 to 20 students shall be permitted to be present in a class at any given time.
Rymbui made it clear that reopening of schools was necessary for the holistic development of the students and added that classroom teachers must return to help students to learn better. He also pointed out that most schoolteachers have been vaccinated while non-vaccinated staff will have to submit a negative RT-PCR report every ten days.
Asked if there was any anticipation of a third wave where children are likely to be affected, Rymbui said it is difficult to predict the future.
“We are prepared to deal with any eventuality. We have taken this decision according to the dynamics of the situation. We have asked the school managing committees to deal with any case of emergency,” the Education Minister said.
Asserting that the decision taken by the government was not rigid, he said that the order will be reviewed if there is a change in the situation.