Schools likely to reopen after August 15 if MHA permits: HRD Minister

New Delhi: Schools in India are likely to reopen after August 15 if the situation is conducive, said Union Human Resources Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal. Speaking to BBC Hindi, he said, “If the situation is conducive and the Home Ministry permits then we can open schools in August. The schools are likely to be reopened after August 15.”

Schools and colleges were shut indefinitely when the country went into a lockdown on March 23 to contain the spread of coronavirus pandemic.

During the interview, the minister said that the results of the pending CBSE examination can be expected before August 15, after which the new academic session will begin. The CBSE board exams will be held from July 1 to 15, while ICSE/ ISC will conduct the exams from July 1 to 12.

Last month, in a webinar, the minister had stated that modified seating arrangements, change in timings and further division of the class into different sections could be among the key features in schools when they re-open. “It is quite possible that classes would be able to incapacitate only 30 per cent of students they used to have before coronavirus. These modalities are being worked out by NCERT,” the minister said.

The NCERT is exploring a new system for opening schools, while the UGC is working out modalities for higher educational institutes, including colleges and universities for the upcoming session, he stated. A task force will be created to maintain sanitization, health standards in schools.