Bengaluru: Ending the long wait on announcement of re-opening of nursery classes, the State Government on Thursday declared that LKG and UKG classes will commence from Nov. 8.

The announcement comes just a couple of days after the Government said that Anganwadi Kendras across the State  will open from Nov.8.

The Department of Public Instruction has issued a circular in this regard. According to the circular, LKG and UKG classes in all Government, aided and unaided Pre-Primary and Primary Schools will commence from Monday.

Classes will take place from 9.30 am to 3.30 pm from Monday to Friday in all taluks of the State where COVID test positivity rate is less than 2 percent.

The Department has also issued COVID precautionary guidelines, according to which children are required to bring consent letter from their parents and undergo daily thermal screening at the School entrance.

Also, all School teachers and staff should have been vaccinated with 2 doses. All children and teachers should compulsorily wear face mask and  teachers aged above 50 years should  have to wear a face shield.

Minister for Primary and Secondary Education B.C. Nagesh said that with the opening of KG classes, the academic activities (2021-22) at all levels have fully begun in the State. Pointing out that the 9th and 10th standards were started from  Aug.23, 6th to 8th standards from Sept.6 and classes 1 to 5 from Oct.25, Nagesh said that children are required to bring drinking water  and food from their homes.

Stating that all Schools are asked to maintain COVID appropriate behaviour and follow Government SOPs, he said that parents have been told not to bring their wards to Schools if they have COVID symptoms such as cough, cold, fever, running nose and breathing problems. He further said that all other children of the School should be tested for the virus if even a single child tests positive and such Schools should compulsory sanitise their premises in order to check the spread of the virus.