Maharashtra: School reopening GR on hold, but not cancelled, says education minister Varsha Gaikwad

NAGPUR: State education minister Varsha Gaikwad said a government resolution (GR) on reopening of schools, which was issued on August 10, was put on hold and not withdrawn. As per that GR, schools in urban areas (for class VIII-XII) and rural areas (class V-VII) were to reopen Tuesday, but many institutions were unsure as no official orders had come from authorities.
Speaking exclusively to TOI, Gaikwad said, “After we issued the GR, there were some concerns over reopening and that’s why it (the GR) was put on hold.We have not cancelled the GR at all. A final decision will be taken in a few days as views from other stakeholders are being taken.”
Though Gaikwad did not mention it, there were reports that the Covid-19 task force members were not happy with the decision to issue such a GR. The same unconfirmed reports suggested that it was their intervention which led to the GR not being implemented.
State education minister Varsha Gaikwad did not comment on this speculation, but said that she too expressed her concerns over the delay in the GR’s implementation. “I spoke to the chief secretary (S Kunte) today, who told me another meeting on this issue will be held soon. This meeting will involve the additional chief secretary and other stakeholders, so we can expect a decision soon. I have told them to act fast as already a few days have passed since we issued the GR,” said Gaikwad.
Even if the GR is brought back into play, the final decision on school reopening shall be taken by a committee headed by the municipal commissioner. In Mumbai, the BMC commissioner has already allowed some foreign schools for children of diplomatic staff to reopen on condition that all Covid-19 protocols will be followed and that staff will be fully vaccinated.
In rural areas, classes VIIIXII are already open, while the latest GR could pave the way for classes V-VII to also reopen for in-person learning.
A private unaided school principal said there is an unofficial consensus among many schools that physical reopening must happen now. “Every school will take its own call after seeing how many parents are willing to send their children, but many of us feel that at least for Std X and XII, classes must begin now,” said the principal.