Assam Education Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday, 17 October announced that education institutions in the state will reopen for students of class 6 to postgraduate level from 2 November. The institutes will reopen with strict COVID-19 guidelines in place. However, schools will remain closed for students up to class 5 and below.
Private schools and coaching institutes will also be allowed to open with restrictions and safety norms in place. Attendance is not mandatory and joining school is voluntary. Parents and guardians will take the final decision to send children to school.
School classes will be held in two batches - from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm and 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm with not more than 25 students in each section. Examinations will be held only for Class 8 which will be conducted by schools, while board examinations will be held for those in class 10 and 12. Students of other classes will be promoted without any examination.
The education minister also said all government polytechnics and engineering institutions will have "normal face-to-face classes from 2 November but hostels will not reopen".
For the first semester students, classes will be held twice a week on Monday and Thursday, for the third on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, for the fifth on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.
As hostels will remain closed, undergraduate students will be allowed to enrol temporarily for a month in a college in their respective home towns and attend classes. The decision regarding reopening of hostels will be taken on 1 December.
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