After Meghalaya and Assam, Tripura partially reopens schools

Agartala/Aizawl/Guwahati: After Assam and Meghalaya, schools in Tripura partially reopened on Monday after nearly nine months, Education Minister Ratan Lal Nath said.

The Minister said that classes for students of degree and technical colleges and Class X and XII began as they would sit for board examinations in a few months.

"Students have to obtain written permission from their parents or guardians before attending classes. School and college authorities are mandatorily sanitising premises before resuming physical classroom teaching and other academic works. We are yet to decide on resuming other classes. Considering the Covid-19 situation, we will take a decision about pre-primary, primary and higher education schools," said Nath, who has visited many schools and colleges to oversee academic and other health protocols.

Assam had reopened educational institutions from Class 7 onwards on November 2 after more than seven months. Education and Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said in Guwahati that considering the improved Covid-19 situation, the Assam government has decided to reopen elementary schools -- Nursery to Class 6 -- from January 1.

He said that the state has also decided on limited reopening of hostels of colleges and universities for final-year students and for residential students of Class 10 and 12 from December 15.

The Meghalaya government has allowed schools in rural areas to reopen from December 1 for students of Class VI onwards, but with the consent of their parents. Schools in urban areas would resume normal classes for students of Class IX to XII only.

In Aizawl, Mizoram Education Minister Lalchandama Ralte said that all schools in the state would remain closed till December.

He said that classes for students up to Class XII would be suspended as Covid-19 infections are likely to spike in winter.

Schools and other educational institutions have been closed since March due to Covid-19.

Though regular classes resumed for students of Classes X and XII on October 16 in Mizoram, they were suspended after around a week following the detection of Covid-19 infections among several students.

"Though the resumption of regular classes in schools has been tentatively scheduled from January 15 next year, a final decision will be taken by the state executive committee," Ralte told the media.

He said that online classes would continue till December 18 in the current year and from January 5 to 14 next year.

In Imphal, officials said that there was no plan as yet to reopen educational institutions in Manipur.

"Both government and private schools shall remain closed in Manipur until the state government issues a specific notification in this regard," a senior Education Department official said.

He said that the Home Ministry had suggested partial reopening of educational institutions with SOPs (Standard Operating Procedure) in place.

Almost all education departments of all the north-eastern states have been conducting online classes for school and college students during suspension of normal classes since March after spike in coronavirus cases.