After 2-Year Hiatus, Schools For Class I-VII Students In Odisha To Reopen On Feb 28 

Physical classes for Class I to VII students will resume in schools across the State on February 28 after a long gap two long years. 

For the first time since the outbreak of Covid-19 in March 2020, students belonging to the elementary and primary classes are going to receive structured classroom teaching in schools from the last day of this month.

Prior to the resumption of physical classes, several schools across the State on Saturday held parents-teachers meeting at their respective institutions. At the meetings, parents, who are still scared and hesitant despite the fact that the Covid-19 situation has considerably improved, were convinced to send their wards to their schools without any apprehensions. 

At the Capital High School in Bhubaneswar, short films were shown to create awareness among the parents and help them come out of their fears. “We had a meeting today with parents in our school. The purpose of the meeting was primarily to inform them about the steps we have taken for the safety of their wards. Moreover, the other objective was to clear their doubts about sending their children to school,” said Ramaranjan Mishra, a teacher at the school. 

Similarly, Nuabazaar School in Cuttack city also organized such a parents-teachers meeting on Saturday. At the meeting, the teachers informed the parents that they would lay emphasis on observance of Covid-19 guidelines like mask wearing, hand sanitizing and maintaining of social distance.   

Notably, the schools had earlier been asked to reopen schools for the students from February 14. However, the State government had to postpone the reopening till February 28 in view of the three-tier Panchayat elections conducted in five phases, which ended on February 24.