Vikrant Shekhawat : Jan 12, 2021, 01:49 PM
Chennai: Schools across Tamil Nadu will reopen for students of classes 10 and 12 on January 19, the government of Tamil Nadu announced on Tuesday. The hostels for these students have also been permitted to reopen on January 19. According to a press statement issued by the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, the decision was taken after consultation with all stakeholders including parents. The state government had ordered the schools to conduct consultation sessions with parents between January 6 and 8 regarding reopening schools for Classes 10 and 12, ahead of their board exams. “95% of the schools have submitted reports that most parents have consented to reopening the schools for these students,” the statement said. It added that keeping in mind the educational welfare of the students, the government has given permission for schools to reopen for these students on January 19. “Each class to have only upto 25 students and the schools shall follow the Standard Operating Procedures issued by the state government,” the statement added. The schools in Tamil Nadu have remained shut since the last week of March 2020 owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. Only the board exams were conducted for students and all other students were announced automatically promoted to the next class. The government had deliberated opening the schools after Deepavali, however, the move received widespread criticism from various quarters as the COVID-19 situation was still not under control in the state. Following this, the state government rolled back its announcement. Tamil Nadu, on Monday, reported 682 new cases of COVID-19. The state has 6,971 persons currently being treated for COVID-19 including at their own homes. Tamil Nadu also reported the deaths of six persons due to COVID-19 on Monday, taking the total death toll to 12,228. 869 persons were reported ‘recovered’ from the infection on Monday and the total number of patients recovered from COVID-19 in Tamil Nadu as on Monday is 8,07,744.