India crossed the 7-million mark in coronavirus cases on
Sunday, based on the data recorded on Saturday. As the COVID-19 cases increase daily, state governments are reconsidering the reopening of schools. The
Centre recently announced that schools can reopen from October 15, albeit
in a graded manner. However, the decision of reopening schools and the setting of precautionary
measures lies with the respective states.

Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat, Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh governments are mulling the reopening of schools.

Also Read | Delhi schools to remain closed till October 31: Education minister Manish Sisodia

Maharashtra:

As the coronavirus cases continue to rise in Maharashtra,
state School Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad has said schools will not reopen
in the state before Diwali.

As of October 11, Maharashtra has reported 15,17,434
COVID-19 cases and 40,040 deaths due to the virus.

Gaikwad, who recently recovered from COVID-19, said schools
have been conducting virtual classes and teachers have been taking special
classes for students in some areas.

However, the challenge is to find a way to end the academic
year and assess students, she said.

“While we are exploring various options, it is clear
that schools will not open before Diwali,” Gaikwad said.

Also Read | Unlock 5: Centre allows re-opening of cinema halls, swimming pools from Oct 15

Chattisgarh

The Chhattisgarh government said schools will continue to
remain closed till further orders in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, a move
welcomed by many parents.

Hailing the move, Chhattisgarh Parents’ Association (CPA), a
state-level body, demanded that the central and state governments declare this
academic session as “zero year” for students till Class 8 and promote
them to the next class, PTI reported.

“Safety of children is the priority of every parent and
sending them to school in the present peak situation of the virus outbreak will
put their life at risk,” PTI quoted CPA president Kristopher Paul as
saying.

Till Saturday, the state reported 1,40,258 COVID-19 cases
and of these, over 80,000 cases were detected in the last one month.

Also Read | Schools to reopen in some states from September 21 following COVID-19 guidelines

Gujarat

The Gujarat government is likely to consider reopening of schools only after Diwali, a senior official has said. Vinod Rao, secretary,
state education department, said there was no immediate plan to reopen schools.

“We are not doing this immediately. We will consider
reopening schools only after Diwali (vacation) after assessing the coronavirus
situation,” PTI quoted Rao as saying.

He said the education department has been in touch with
representatives of parents and school associations over the issue.

Diwali will be celebrated this year on November 14.

Madhya Pradesh

The Madhya Pradesh government has put on hold reopening of
primary and middle schools in the state for now, school educational minister
Inder Singh Parmar said. Madhya Pradesh has been reporting at least 1,600
COVID-19 cases every day and the state government seems reluctant to add to the
existing health crisis.

“We are not going to take the risk of reopening primary
(Classes 1 to 5) and middle (Classes 6 to 8) schools after October 15 for
now,” PTI quoted Parmar as saying.

Reopening schools for primary and middle classes is too
risky and if something happens to a child, the state government will be at the
receiving end, he said.

Also Read | Schools in Delhi to remain closed for all students till Oct 5, says Delhi govt

Goa

The Goa government will take a decision on reopening schools
only after consulting all the stakeholders including teachers, Chief Minister
Pramod Sawant said on Sunday. Teachers’ associations are opposed to restarting
physical classes immediately, fearing it would be impossible to maintain social
distancing in schools.

Sawant had held consultations with the stakeholders in the
last week of September, and it was then decided that schools will not reopen
immediately from October 1.

Sawant said the Goa government is thinking of starting
classes of standards 10th and 12th first, if and when it decides to reopen
schools.

As part of the Unlock 5.0 guidelines, states have been asked
to decide on reopening schools from October 15.