-Reshma Ravishanker

In-person classes will commence for students from classes 9, 10 and pre university across the state from August 23, Karnataka’s chief minister Basavaraj Bommai said on Friday. However, this is subject to the number of cases the state will report in the forecasted third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The state government, in anticipation of the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic has kept a strict vigil at both Karnataka-Kerala and Karnataka-Maharashtra borders, where numbers are particularly high and made it mandatory for travellers to carry a negative RTCR certificate. Night curfew has been imposed from 9 pm to 5 am in the state in the wake of the pandemic.

However, in a move that has been welcome by the private schools managements, Bommai announced that in-person classes in Karnataka would be opened in a phased manner, based on how the third wave of the pandemic phases out. So far, following a circular on June 4, schools have been conducting only online classes since July 1.

The chief minister has said that classes are set to commence on August 23 and to avoid crowding in schools, students will be categorised into two batches. The two batches of students will have classes on alternative days- the first batch of students will have classes on three days, the other batch will have classes on the other three days in the week.  

The decision was taken following a meeting with experts including renowned cardiologists Dr Devi Shetty from Narayana Hrudayalaya and Dr C N Manjunath of the Jayadeva Institute of Cardio Vascular Sciences, who have been on expert panels of the government’s Covid-19 committees.

Bommai also said that a decision to reopen classes for students of class 8 would be taken in the last week of August based on the spike in cases during the anticipated third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic is anticipated to affect children in large numbers. The government has made no proposal to resume offline classes for primary school students.

Responding to this, D Shashikumar, general secretary, Associated Managements of Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka said that this was a welcome move and sought that the government consider reopening in-person classes for primary school as well. He also sought those parents of children below 18 (or the school going category) must be vaccinated on priority. 

Also read: Maharashtra parents favour reopening of schools