Maharashtra School Education Minister, Varsha Gaikwad on Sunday, 11 October, announced that it will not be reopening schools before Diwali in view of rising COVID-19 cases, reported Press Trust of India.
As of Sunday, the state has reported 15,17,434 COVID-19 cases and 40,040 deaths due to the virus.
In its Unlock 5 guidelines issued earlier this month, the Centre allowed phased reopening of schools and other educational institutions from 15 October. The education centres were shut down in March, more than six months ago, due to the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.
State Higher and Technical Education Minister Uday Samant also stated that colleges in the state will be not reopen until the COVID-19 situation is under control.
The state has taken measures to ease virtual learning for students and teachers. The state education department recently partnered with Google India to enable remote learning for 2.30 crore students and teachers.
States like Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Karnataka are likely to reopen schools from 15 October, in a phased manner, as they have already reopened for Classes 9-12. Uttar Pradesh has also recently announced that it will be reopening schools for class 9-12 from 19 October.
The Centre has asserted that students should not be forced to attend classes, and those who choose to not go should be able to attend lectures online. According to the guidelines, schools should not conduct assessments for at least two-three weeks after reopening. Proper pen-and-paper tests will be discouraged to "ensure emotional well-being of students.
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