New Delhi: In view of the sudden surge in the number of COVID-19 infections, several States and Union Territories (UTs) have decided to close schools. The fear of the pandemic have forced some states to promote the students without annual exams, barring those who will take Class X and Class XII board exams this year.
It’s one year since the schools across the nation were closed following a nationwide lockdown announced by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
However, the recent spike in the daily COVID-19 caseload has forced some states to again stop physical classes.
Chhattisgarh joined the list of states that have cancelled classes and decided to promote students sans exams.
Here is the complete list of states and the measures that have been taken:
Odisha
The Odisha government on March 13 announced that the students of grade I to VIII will be promoted to the next class without the annual examination.
School and Mass Education Minister Samir Ranjan Dash said no physical classes will be held for students of Class I to VIII till April in view of the COVID-19 pandemic situation in the state.
Punjab
One of the worst-hit states, Punjab has decided to keep educational institutions shut till March 31. The government had announced closure of schools on March 13. The government later said that all educational institutions, except medical colleges will remain closed till the end of March.
“All educational institutions, other than medical and nursing colleges, will remain closed till March 31,” read an official statement.
Chhattisgarh
Chhattisgarh declared closure of schools on March 21. The Bhupesh Baghel government said on Sunday that students of all classes will be promoted without exams, except for those studying in Classes X and XII.
“All schools will be shut till further orders and all students, except for class 10th and 12th, will be given general promotion to the next class without holding examinations,” the government order stated.
Puducherry
Puducherry’s territorial administration had previously ordered closure of all schools for Classes I to VIII effective from March 22 till May 31. This is applicable to all schools under the state board and also the ones with central board affiliations — CBSE and ICSE.
Tamil Nadu
The Tamil Nadu government has declared closure of schools for Classes IX, X and XI from March 22 till further orders. However, schools will be open for Class XII students who are taking the board exam.
“The government of Tamil Nadu hereby order that schools shall be closed for classes 9th, 10th and 11th with effect from March 22 until further orders,” state Chief Secretary Rajeev Ranjan said in the order.
Karnataka
The Karnataka government had earlier said it is planning to start the next academic session for schools from July 15, and it will be subject to the COVID-19 situation, according to NDTV. “We are planning to start the next academic year for schools from July 15. We have to keep in mind the Covid situation as well,” Primary and Secondary Education Minister S Suresh Kumar had said.
Gujarat
The Gujarat government has called off all offline classes till April 10 for schools located in eight municipal corporation areas. The government has also closed schools in Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, Jamnagar, Junagadh, Bhavnagar and Gandhinagar.
Telangana
The Telangana government said on March 17 that it was analysing the COVID-19 situation in the state and will take a call in the next few days. However, the decision is yet to come. Offline classes in Telangana resumed in February. Meanwhile, a large number of coronavirus cases have been reported in educational institutions in the state.
Rajasthan
With a resurge in COVID-19 infections, the students from classes I to V will be promoted to the next classes without the annual examinations in Rajasthan.
However, for Classes VI and VII students, the exams will begin on April 15. The officials will issue a separate guideline for Class VIII Board examination. “In view of the circumstances arising out of corona, the government has made this decision,” School Education Minister Govind Singh Dotasra tweeted.
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