Odisha plans fun-filled school opening for kids

With the students of Class 1 to 7 all set to attend schools from February 28 after a gap of two years following improvement in the COVID-19 pandemic situation, the Odisha government has drawn guidelines including a week-long rapport building exercise.

Principal Secretary, School and Mass Education Department, B P Sethi said the exercise would take place after the reopening of schools at the elementary level. This is aimed at creating a stress-free and fun filled learning environment for school children.

The children's emotional well-being needs to be taken care of by creating a happy learning environment in schools, he said. As per the guidelines, the teachers would prepare a fixed timetable focusing on rapport-building exercises, which will include open discussions for sharing good memories during the pandemic, hobbies, how children felt, and what were their activities during the school closure period.

All the children will be asked to complete the picture by using their creative thought. Clay modelling/any craftwork with locally available raw materials will also be done in the schools. Collage work (pasting of small pieces of paper within an empty picture), proverbs and others will also be conducted.

"Care will be taken to select activities more or less subject related while selecting activities as well as involvement of all children to be ensured," the Department said in its guidelines.

The department has also decided to organize a large-scale campaign at village level to ensure 100 per cent attendance in school on the reopening day of the school. Prior to opening of the schools, PTA (parents' teachers association) meeting will be organized on February 26 for a detailed discussion on the activities to be taken as well as their role and responsibilities towards school as well as academic progress of their children.