Mumbai: In an attempt to resume education for all, the state school education department is mulling over reopening offline lectures for Classes 10 and 12 in villages of Maharashtra where there have been no new Covid-19 cases in the last few months. Varsha Gaikwad, state school education minister, said they are studying possibilities of safe resumption of schools in corona-free villages.
Following a meeting with the Chief Minister (CM) of Maharashtra Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday, Gaikwad said, "The past year has taught us that a blended approach to education is needed in these times to ensure no child misses out. So while promoting remote learning, we are studying the possibilities for safe resumption of offline schools in corona-free villages."
The state school education department aims to give priority to Classes 10 and 12 students. Gaikwad said, "Initially, we will explore the possibility of reopening classrooms for Standard 10 and 12 in villages where there have been no new Covid-19 cases in the last few months. We will resume offline lectures and reopen schools provided they commit to follow Covid-19 appropriate behaviour and adopt measures for keeping the virus at bay in future as well."
Currently, all schools in Maharashtra are shut offline. The state school education department shut offline lectures for all levels due to the second Covid-19 wave. However, the academic year 2021-22 has begun in schools via online education from June 15, 2021.
