Odisha Schools Reopen On Monday: Students Excited, Parents Urged For Caution

With the Covid-19 situation improving in Odisha, physical class for Class 8 to 12 students will resume on Monday, after a gap of nearly a month.

The resumption of classroom teaching means a lot to the students in the remote areas of the State. 

During the period when offline classes were suspended, institutions switched over to online mode of teaching. While the students in urban areas did not have any problem with the changeover, their rural and remote counterparts struggled hard to keep pace with the curriculum as online education has been a distant dream for them. Poverty and lack of mobile connectivity came on their way to access education. 

Nevertheless, the reopening has infused a new lease of life among students.

They are very excited over the prospects of once again going to the school. “I am happy that schools are reopening once again. Due to network issues, I was unable to attend most of the online classes. That caused a lot of stress since our Board examination is approaching. As physical classes are restarting, we will once again receive direct guidance of our teachers,” said M Shrabani, a Class X student. 

The parents are equally happy over the government’s decision to start physical classes. “Like our children, we were also under stress. Due to suspension of offline classes, our children were not as serious about their study as they used to be when they were going to school. Physical classes should start but with strict adherence to Covid-19 guidelines,” observed Sanjita Turuk, a parent. 

Meanwhile, on Sunday educational institutions were found busy in making arrangements to provide students with safe environment with all the Covid-19 guidelines in place. They were taking care of everything, from sitting arrangement in classrooms to sanitizing the campuses. 

Headmaster in-charge of a school in Rayagada district, Sashi Bhushan Pattanayak, said they had all the necessary arrangements in place. “At the school entrance, we have made arrangement for thermal screening. The students will be provided with hand sanitisers. If required, we will also provide masks to them,” Pattanayak said. 

In order to ensure the smooth conduct of physical classes, several teams under the direct supervision of the district education officers (DEOs) have been formed in the districts. Coordinating with the health department, they have been visiting the schools. As hostels are also opening, facility of isolation rooms have been made to prevent spread of the infection. “All the schools have carried out preparations as directed. In case of any report of infection, the concerned district administrations will take decision as deemed fit,” said Samir Ranjan Das, School and Mass Education Minister. 

On the other hand, Odisha Health services director Bijay Mohapatra asked the parents to be catious. “It is difficult to control children. So, the responsibility rests with the parents. If their children have any symptoms of Covid-19, they should not allow them to go to schools. School authorities should ensure physical distancing and proper ventilation in classrooms. We will step in when any institution reports cases,” said Mohapatra. 

The classes for Class 8 students will start at 10 am and end at 1pm. Similarly, classes of Class 9 to 12 students will be held from 10am to 4pm.Technical institutions will also resume offline teaching from Monday.