Bhubaneswar: The School & Mass Education Department today issued a detailed SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) under the school reopening plan for classes VIII and XI.
The Department has issued a letter to the Director Higher Secondary Education, Director Secondary Education, Director Elementary Education, SPD OSEPA and SPD OAVS in this regard.
The letter says that while school for Class XI (Higher Secondary) will be reopened from October 21 with timing from 10.00 AM to 1.30 PM, schools for Class VIII (Elementary Education) will be opened from October 25 with timing from 9.00 AM to 12.30 PM.
“Both online and offline classes will continue and the students can attend the offline classes in consultation with their parents/Guardians. The Educational institutions under the administrative control of ST & SC Development, Minorities & Backward Classes Welfare Department & Social Security & Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities may also reopen classes from the above dates following the SOP as prescribed by this Department,” the letter read.
No cooked mid-day meal will be served to the students of Class VIII and in lieu of that dry ration will be provided to the students as being provided earlier, it added.
The letter further states that hostels for the above classes will also be reopened from the date of reopening of schools following the Covid-19 Protocol and Social distancing norms. However, parental consent is mandatory for the students who want to stay in the hostel. The common area of the Hostel including the Mess should be frequently sanitized and the earlier SOP issued by this Department for management of hostels should be followed scrupulously.
The overall guiding principles of the SOP issued by the Department are as under:
Online/distance learning shall continue to be the preferred mode of teaching and shall be encouraged.
Where schools are conducting online classes, and some students prefer to attend online classes rather than physically attending school, they may be permitted to do so.
Online and classroom learning will go in tandem with each other and should continue to share timelines and daily schedules to ensure synchronization.
Students may attend schools/institutions in consultation with their parents /guardians. Attendance must not be enforced.
The District Collector will have the final authority to take decisions in this regard to the time and method of school reopening in exceptional circumstances for all the schools in the district.
Only schools outside the containment zone shall be allowed to open. Students, teachers and employees living in containment zones will not be allowed to attend the schools and will also be advised not to visit areas falling under containment zones.
The District Collector will also direct the relevant schools to immediately shut down in case their zone is declared as a containment zone.
Prior to resumption of activities, all work areas including furniture, libraries, laboratories, storage places, water tanks, kitchen, washrooms/toilets, and other areas of common use shall be sanitized with particular attention to frequently touched surfaces.
Schools may not reopen without 100% access to potable drinking water and adequate functional toilets for all students. Any school without access to the above must first make these arrangements before reopening.
School provided transportation should also be discouraged to reduce risk. Parents must ensure that they take responsibility of the child’s commute to school. Where plying, transport facilities may run at maximum of 50% capacity with adequate sanitization before picking up and after dropping students.
High risk staff members with severe ailments or underlying conditions must take extra precaution.
No student should be coerced to come to school. Only those parents and students who feel comfortable attending school should do so.
Provisions to be made in schools:
For ensuring social distancing and queue management inside and at the entrance of the premises, specific markings on the floor/ground with a gap of 6 feet should be made.
Inside classrooms, students should be made to sit at safe distances/alternate desks. Fixed seating should be ensured. A particular seat/space should be earmarked for each student (for example: based on roll number) so that there is limited exposure to other students’ physical spaces.
Physical distancing shall also be maintained in staff rooms (by earmarking seats for teachers at an adequate distance), and other common areas (mess, libraries, cafeterias, etc.) with relevant markings as required.
If available, temporary space or outdoor spaces (in case of pleasant weather) may be utilized for conducting classes, keeping in view the safety and security of the children and physical distance protocols.
There must be adequate soap (solid/liquid) and running water in all washrooms and toilets. Hand sanitizers etc. for the teachers, students, and staff must be available mandatorily in each classroom.
Any staff entrusted with cleaning/sweeping duties must be informed and trained about the cleaning/sanitization processes as well as general norms for waste management and disposal.
The school should display state helpline numbers and also numbers of local health authorities etc. to teachers/students/employees to contact in case of any emergency. Other posters related to the preventive measures about COVID-19 must also be displayed.
A separate isolation room has to be marked in the school and kept ready.
This room may be used in case any student or staff develops Covid symptoms.
The Composite School Grant under Samagra Sikhya may be used for the purchase of all relevant cleaning and sanitization material. If required the help of the Local Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRI) may be sought.