Karnataka Government might announce its decision on reopening schools soon. A high-level committee has recommended the state government to reopen Karnataka schools and colleges in a staggered matter. The committee submitted an interim research report to the state, suggesting that the schools and colleges in the state can open with proper protocols.
The administration is likely to start on-campus classes soon for senior students. The committee, headed by cardiac surgeon Fr Devi Shetty, submitted a 91-page report to the Chief Minister about tackling the third wave of COVID 19. The report of the committee noted that there is no evidence anywhere that suggests that educational institutes can become the hubs for spreading the COVID 19 virus.
The report stated, “There is an urgent and righteous need to offer scientific guidance for school and college reopening as any delay in achieving near normalization of schooling will be more detrimental than Covid-19 itself.”
The committee recommended that teachers and staff should be vaccinated and reopening of schools in a staggered manner. The panel suggested that classes can be conducted in a staggered manner on different days and shifts. In order to encourage parents to send children back to school, the committee recommended that the government should provide a health cover of Rs 2 lakh to each student attending on-campus classed.
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According to the recommendations, colleges have to be opened and the campus COVID committee should be set up. The committee suggested that schools should be directed to recruit a counsellor and a medically qualified nurse. The panel stated that children suffering from chronic ailments should get doctor’s consent to attend on-campus classes.
The report said that all decisions regarding the reopening of schools should be taken up by authorities at the district, taluk and village level through the School Development and Monitoring Committee according to the broader guidelines issued by the state government.