The school students in Tamil Nadu are finally counting their days to take their seats in schools after over a year of being confined to the new normal, triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic. Recently, the health experts in the state had suggested the state government reopen the schools as the incessant closure of the institutions had put students into mental stress and struggle for coping up with their studies from financial distress to the lack of connectivity. 

Based on these suggestions, the Tamil Nadu government had earlier hinted that the schools will be reopened on September 1. However, it won't be a complete resumption as the government mulls to go by gradual reopening and the schools will be resumed for Classes 9 to 12 at an initial phase while the rest of the students will be sticking to the online classes. Earlier, the government has also instructed the school education department to initiate measures to work out the resumptions from September 1 by adhering to the Covid-19 protocols. 

Resumption of the schools would be a major relaxation from the Covid-19 lockdown and while the government has proposed to reopen the schools for Classes 9 to 12 from September 1, it was reported that the school education department would announce the final decision soon. In what has become a significant development in the resumption of schools, Tamil Nadu School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi has said that the government is ready to reopen the schools. While addressing the reporters at Tiruchendur in Tuticorin district on Tuesday, Poyyamozhi has said that the students are depressed without attending schools. 

He said, "We want students to go to school physically, starting with Classes 9 to 12 after extensive discussions with health experts." His statement has come when the school education department is in the process of getting schools ready for students of Classes 9 to 12 from September 1, for conducting online classes for classes 1 to 8 and improve the infrastructure in government schools that had recorded an increase in enrolment. The school education minister has said that preliminary discussions on the standard operating procedure (SOP) were held in Chennai on Monday and it will be finalized in two days. 

He stated that the SOP was prepared last year when there were discussions to reopen the schools and such procedures are being reviewed to add any further protocols to ensure that the Covid-19 guidelines are followed in the schools. By citing that the final decision will be informed to the Chief Education Officers, the minister said that there were elaborate discussions on preparedness for the third wave and the draft document on reducing syllabus for this year is ready and it will be signed and informed. It has been reported that if it is decided to reopen the schools on September 1, the schools will be directed to conduct classes with only 50% capacity to reduce the overcrowding of pupils. 

The minister further said that the school education department has decided to conduct the classes on a shift basis so as to reduce the incidents of large gatherings. He added that the department is enhancing the government schools by employing adequate teachers and classrooms as there is an increase in the enrolment from private schools to government schools. He said, "We had 2,04,379 students enrolling in more than 40,000 government schools till last week as people are economically impacted by the pandemic. Around 20 to 40 students enrolled in many schools, while in some schools which had a strength of 300 last year has more than doubled to 700."