School Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad stated on Wednesday that the Maharashtra Education Department would permit the reopening of schools for Classes 5 to 8 only after receiving the approval of the state health department.
The state government had last month asked district collectors and local authorities to decide on reopening of schools for classes 9 to 12 based on the pandemic situation in their areas, which have been shut since March this year due to the COVID-19 Pandemic and subsequent lockdown.
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According to media reports, Gaikwad stated, “The school education department will discuss the issue of reopening schools with the public health department. Once we get their approval, we will resume classes.”
She added that major cities in the state, including Mumbai, Mumbai suburbs, Thane, Pune, and Nashik will be informed about the reopening of schools only after discussions with the state public health ministry.
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“We are consulting parents and local officials in this regard. Local officials have also conducted a large number of RT-PCR tests on school teachers and non-teaching staff before reopening schools,” Gaikwad further informed.
Apart from this, around three lakh students from classes 9 to 12 have been attending schools in 25 districts of the Maharashtra state since November 23, 2020. The minister revealed that the figure has increased to five lakh based on a review conducted last week.
Read: Maharashtra Schools To Reopen From November 23 For Class 9 to 12
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