New Delhi: After reports of schools being closed till December started doing rounds, the government agency clarified that the central government had not made any such decision yet.
The Press Information Bureau tweeted a fact check on the issue on August 13.
<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet”>
<p dir=”ltr” lang=”en”>A news agency has reported that the Central Government has decided to not re-open schools until December.<a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/PIBFactCheck?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#PIBFactCheck</a>: Government has not made any such decision.<a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/FakeNews?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#FakeNews</a> <a href=”https://t.co/az7JDcOmWn”>pic.twitter.com/az7JDcOmWn</a></p>
— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) <a href=”https://twitter.com/PIBFactCheck/status/1293834114798202880?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>August 13, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Several state governments, including Assam, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal and Goa, are considering reopening schools from September. However, parents and students have been opposing this decision due to health concerns, according to a report by The Indian Express.
Students have been demanding syllabus reduction and continuation of online classes. But, due to lack of required digital gadgets and internet connectivity, economically backward students are losing out on teaching sessions.
During an online interaction, Minister for Education Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank had said that modified seating arrangements, change in timings and further division of the class into different sections could be among the key features to reopening of schools.
According to ministry officials, schools will reopen in a phased manner. Moreover, it is most likely that students of classes IX to XII will be called first. Students in classes I to V, in the six to 10 years age group, are unlikely to go back to classrooms anytime soon, the report added.
Online education still remains active and no date regarding reopening of schools has been announced.