Classrooms cleaned and sanitised; consent letter from parents mandatory

Mysore/Mysuru: After a gap of nearly nine months, school and college managements are preparing to meet all the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to resume offline classes for SSLC and Second PUC from tomorrow (Jan.1). Meanwhile, some parents are worried to send their wards to schools.    

Educational institutions that  were shut in March this year due to COVID-19 pandemic are reopening tomorrow. Class 10 and 12 will be the first to commence. Vidyagama programme is being launched for students of classes 6 to 9 and this will be under the direct supervision of the  District Administration. 

Ahead of tomorrow’s resuming of classes, the authorities have begun sanitising the classrooms. 

While Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) teams are sanitising classrooms of both private and Government schools and colleges, Panchayat and Health Department staff are sanitising classrooms in rural areas.

MCC Health Officer Dr. D.G. Nagaraj told Star of Mysore this morning, that after the first round of sanitisation by the MCC, the schools have to continue the sanitisation process at frequent intervals.  

While unaided and private schools have to bear the cost of sanitisation, the Government Schools have been allowed to use their School Development and Monitoring Committee (SDMC) funds for purchase of thermal scanners and hygiene equipment. 

Consent letter

Before sending children to schools and colleges, parents must send a signed declaration that his/her child/children do not have COVID-19 and an RT-PCR test has been conducted. Along with this declaration, a signed consent letter expressing willingness of parents to send the child to schools/colleges must be sent through the child, said Deputy Director of Public Instruction (DDPI) and Deputy Director of PU Education (DDPUE). 

Ahead of reopening of schools and PU colleges Mysuru Deputy Commissioner Rohini Sindhuri has appealed parents to send their children to schools and colleges as all safety measures had been taken to restart academic activities. Officials at district and taluk levels have been asked to ensure the success of academic activities that were so far suspended, forcing children to remain confined to homes and take up online classes, the DC informed. 

Student numbers

There are 2,290 schools with students in classes 6 to 10. Government, aided, and unaided schools have about 2,08,605 students and 20,088 teachers. A total of 956 Government Schools run classes for standards 6 to 8 and 232 schools have students studying in classes 9 and 10. In the schools, including aided and unaided, 1,68,495 students are in classes 6 to 9 and 40,110 students are in class 10.

Panchayats and Health Department have been directed by the DC to ensure cleanliness of toilets and all SOPs are followed. Panchayats have been told to provide thermal scanners to schools. Orders have been passed to monitor strict implementation of COVID-19 guidelines in schools and colleges and the precautions have been taken on the directions of the State Government.

On symptomatic students 

Schools and colleges have been told to designate a classroom as an ‘isolation room’ for symptomatic students and teachers have been asked to monitor the health of each child and take them to hospital for a check-up if necessary.

All teachers have to undergo RT-PCR tests as per the Government order. Even as the schools are reopening from tomorrow, distribution of food grains to students instead of cooked food as part of midday meal programme will continue, the DC added. 

Yesterday, many students lined up in front of Chikka Gadiyara near Devaraja Market, to give their swab samples for the RT-PCR test. Free tests are being conducted by the Health Department and mass RT-PCR tests are being conducted till Friday at J.K. Grounds.

Classes from Jan. 6

All private schools are not opening tomorrow. While Excel Public School will open from Jan. 6, Kautilya Vidyalaya will open from Jan. 4. Speaking to Star of Mysore, K.G. Mathew, Principal of Excel Public School said that the school will reopen for class 10 and 12 from Jan. 6. “This is a long weekend and we have decided to open from Jan. 6 with all the precautions, systems, staff and equipment in place. We will conduct RT-PCR tests for staff at the institution itself and will take measures to sanitise each classroom and students would be accommodated as per COVID guidelines,” he said. 

Classes will be held for half-a-day and children coming to school will have to carry a consent letter from the parents. “We have personally called the parents and have informed about the school’s functioning, measures taken and the guidelines to be followed,” he added. 

Dr. L Savitha, Senior Principal and Secretary of Kautilya Vidyalaya said that their school will open from Jan. 4, Monday. “We have already sanitised our classrooms and kept ready for students. We are not compelling any student to come to class as we have a system of both online and offline classes. Classes will be held for half-a-day and we will follow COVID guidelines,” she explained.