Odisha: Low Turnout Of Students Mark Reopening of Anganwadis In State

Bhubaneswar: Low attendance of students marked the reopening of anganwadis across the State on Tuesday as they opened gates for the first time following 10-month long closure on account of the Covid-19 induced restrictions that came into force in March last year.

Several centres recorded low student turnout as parents appeared to be reluctant to send their children to classrooms with the shadow of the pandemic still continuing.

Last week the state government had taken the important decision to reopen the Aanganwadis as the long closure of the elementary education centres could result in depriving children of the precious learning lessons.

As per the government direction, the centres opened on Tuesday following proper sanitization of classrooms and strict adherence to the Covid-19 guidelines issued by the State government. The staff at these centres have been instructed to implement all pandemic precautions with sincerity.

The centres have been instructed to inform the district Collector or the local administration any case of Covid-19 infection so that it could be declared a containment zone, as per the Central government's guidelines.

Meanwhile, the School and Mass Education department has been directed to prepare a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for primary schools and decide on the opening of such institutions with necessary approvals from the State government.

Apart from the primary educational institutions, all higher education institutions have also been ordered to select a proper date for reopening of colleges and take necessary precautions required to reopen the hostels and canteens.

The Department of Skill Development and Technical Education has also been authorised to take appropriate decisions with regard to the date of reopening of Engineering Colleges and other Technical Education/ Skill Development Institutions.