The Odisha government has announced that the schools in the state will remain closed till December 31 in view of the fears of the second wave that might hit the country mid-December.
The Schools and Mass Education (S&ME) department of Odisha released an order recently which stated, “… the state government does hereby direct that all schools in the state shall remain closed till 31 December 2020.”
S&ME secretary Satyabrata Sahoo said consultations were held with various stakeholders and inputs were taken from them.
He said that the second wave of COVID-19 cases in some states was also noted. S&ME also said that online online distance learning will be allowed during this time period. In education institutes, the entrance exams, competitive exams, , evaluation and other administrative activities will be conducted.
The notification stated that the teaching and non-teaching staff will conduct online classes and other administrative work from school, according to the SOPs issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW).
Odisha government had earlier decided to reopen schools for classes 8 to 12 from November 15. After Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik cautioned about a possible second wave in the second half of December, the department decided not to open schools from November 15.
