Nearly nine months after remaining under the unprecedented shutdown, the schools in Tamil Nadu are likely nearing their resumption as the state government has drawn a new plan of re-opening the schools for classes 10 and 12 after the Pongal holidays. 

The government has unveiled its plan of resuming the schools partially on Monday and it has asked the schools to hold a review meeting with the parents to discuss and obtain their views of re-opening schools after the Pongal holidays. The government has directed all the district education department officers to ensure that schools conduct meetings with the parents till January 8 to draw their opinions on re-opening the schools for classes 10 and 12. 

In its statement, the education department said that it is essential to re-open schools with the view of the welfare of the students of classes 10 and 12 so that these students can prepare for the upcoming board exams. The department has instructed the schools to conduct the meeting with the parents by putting the standard operating procedures in place. The schools are advised to schedule the meetings at different timings to cover all the parents and the meeting halls must be sanitized regularly.

The circular has further advised the schools to deploy thermal screening measures and all the parents must be tested at the entrance and it's mandatory that they should sanitize their hands before entering the meeting halls and wear masks. The schools should discuss with the parents about re-opening the classes after the Pongal holidays by following the standard operating procedures. The managements of the educational institutions are encouraged to obtain the views and inputs from the parents on resuming the schools. 

The government said that it will take a final decision to re-opening the schools for classes 10 and 12 after the Pongal holidays based on the opinions of parents. The school education department has furnished the standard operating procedures that will have to be followed once the schools are re-opened. According to reports, if the government decides to re-open the schools, it would issue an order to ban the extracurricular activities, assembly, NCC, and other events on the school premises. 

The schools will also be asked to ensure that the premises are sanitized at regular intervals and students observe proper social distancing. The schools are instructed to advise the students not to share the lunches and study materials between them and the government has directed the schools to involve the district educational officers in the meetings with the parents and the circular applies to all the government and private schools. 

The schools in Tamil Nadu are under incessant shutdown since March owing to the COVID-19 outbreak and the closures had pushed the students to settle for a new normal of attending classes online. The students of all levels have been studying online and the spread and objections from parents and oppositions had deferred the resumption of schools. 

It must be noted that the government had in November 2020 organized such meetings with the parents to re-open the schools. However, the majority of parents had voiced against the resumption of schools and now the government has drawn a new plan of resuming the schools for classes 10 and 12 after the Pongal holidays. 

தமிழகத்தில் பள்ளிகள் திறக்கும் போது கடைபிடிக்க வேண்டிய விதிமுறைகளை மாநில அரசு வெளியிட்டுள்ளது. pic.twitter.com/QstG1SBAxc

— AIR News Chennai (@airnews_Chennai) January 4, 2021