R. ARIVANANTHAM
CHENNAI, JAN 12
Schools across the state will reopen for students of classes X and XII on January 19, according to a communiqué from the Tamil Nadu government on Tuesday. To ensure the students’ attendance, the hostels for these students have also been permitted to reopen on January 19.
A statement issued by the Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami said, the decision was taken after consultation with all stakeholders including parents recently.
The state government had ordered the schools to conduct consultation sessions with parents between January 6 and 8 regarding reopening schools for Classes 10 and 12, ahead of their board exams.
“95% of the schools have submitted reports that most parents have consented to reopen the schools for these students,” the statement added.
It added that keeping in mind the educational welfare of the students, the government has given permission for schools to reopen for these students on January 19.
“Each class to have only upto 25 students and the schools shall follow the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) issued by the state government,” the statement added.
The schools in Tamil Nadu have remained shut since the third week of March 2020 owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. Only the board exams were conducted for students and all other students were announced automatically promoted to the next higher class.
Earlier, the government had deliberated opening the schools after Deepavali, however, the move received widespread criticism from various quarters as the COVID-19 situation was still not under control in the state. Following this, the state government rolled back its announcement.
