Karnataka Will Soon Take Decision On Reopening Schools

On Sunday, Chief Minister of Karnataka, Basavaraj Bommai stated that he will be discussing regarding the reopening of schools soon with the management association. The announcement that will be taking place, will be taken after Bommai's returning from Delhi.

Bommai stated about the matter of reopening of schools, as some of the media persons asked him about it when some of the private schools had already announced to reopen their schools from August 2 onwards. He mentioned that he will be discussing about the issue with the school associations. He further stated that they will ensure the steps taken by other states regarding it. The vaccination status is also needed to be assured before reopening and the opinions of the school administration will be taken into consideration and an appropriate decision will be taken for the students. While an expert committee was established to make the recommendation for the government on the reopenings of schools chose on August 2.

D Shashi Kumar, secretary of the Association of Primary and Secondary of Karnataka stated that they had previously urged that schools reopen as soon as feasible to the government. The date of August 2 was suggested, however, the final decision is in the hands of the chief minister.

On Sunday, the recognized Unaided Private Schools Association (RUPSA) office bearers in Karnataka stated visited Bommai. According to them, the Chief Minister advised them not to make any hasty decisions and instead to wait several days for him to invite schools for discussions. As per Lokesh T, president of RUPSA, the group has chosen to wait a week. RUPSA had previously decided that schools would reopen on August 2. In the wake of growing incidents, members of the association voted to postpone reopening at a general body meeting on Saturday. Instead, the government was persuaded to open schools, either through Vidyagama or in shifts.

However, the expert committee recommended that all schools reopen, it also stated that the government might do so in stages if required. The report found that pre-primary and lower primary school return on August 2, followed by grades 6 and above a week later by August 9. The committee also stated that all classes should emphasize critical learning goals. The recovery of core learning and the results required for grade-level learning must be the major focus in primary grades.

Meanwhile, the parents and teachers associations should be informed about child safety precautions, suitable facilities for parents who are still hesitant to send their children to school should be accessible.