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Gujarat: Offline classes for students from Class I to V to begin from Monday

Schools have been asked to follow all COVID-19 protocols

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The Gujarat government, on Sunday, announced that offline classes will restart for Class I to V from Monday. The announcement was made by Education Minister Jitubhai Vaghani in Surat.

However, attending offline classes is optional for students, as there is also the provision to attend classes online. Parents, who would be sending their children to schools, will be asked to sign a declaration form.

Parents have also been asked not to send their kids to school if the children are unwell.

Schools have been asked to follow all COVID-19 protocols, and keep the class strength at 50 per cent capacity. If necessary, schools can arrange students to attend classes in batches on alternative days.

It remains to be seen how the parents would send their children to schools. While it may be possible to maintain social distancing in school buses, it is not the same with vans and autos.

Offline classes for students from Class VI had begun a few months ago. Colleges and universities too had restarted.

The state government’s decision has not gone down well with the parents’ association.

Association's president Naresh Shah said the minister will be held responsible even if a single child contracts COVID-19.

He said though they understand that education was being affected, restarting offline classes is really risky. Shah alleged that classes were being restarted in schools under pressure from school managements who want to collect full fees from students.

The number of COVID-19 cases has been on the decline in the state for the past few months. The state government had faced flak for its alleged inapt handling of the pandemic during the second wave. However, it stepped up the game, increasing the number of ICU beds and oxygen delivery.

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