Bengaluru: Amid the campaign by several groups which wanted the Government  to stop its much publicised ‘Vidyagama’ programme due to safety concerns as several teachers involved in the programme have lost their lives reportedly due to COVID-19, the State Government on Sunday announced a three week holiday for teachers of Primary and High Schools.

The declaration of holiday comes a day after the Government suspended ‘Vidyagama,’ an initiative aimed at taking education to the doorsteps of children during COVID times, following reports of teachers contracting the deadly COVID-19 virus during the course of the programme.

Considering the safety of teachers and children, Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa ordered a three week holiday for Primary and High School teachers from Oct. 12 to 30.

With the lives of teachers put to risk as the job needed extensive travelling and public contact, Opposition Leaders such as H.D. Kumaraswamy and Siddharamaiah had urged the Government to stop ‘Vidyagama’ in the interests of both the students and the teachers.

Meanwhile, Mysuru Acting DDPI Udaykumar said that 5,670 teachers of Mysuru district were subjected to COVID tests and 186 of them tested positive. Subsequently, the infected teachers were treated at different hospitals of the city. But unfortunately five of them died after failing to respond to the treatment, he said and added that the statistics regarding COVID-19 tests and treatment for teachers have been sent to the Department Headquarters at Bengaluru.