The COVID-19 pandemic led to an unprecedented shutdown of all educational institutions in India back in March 2020. With the pandemic continuing with severe intensity throughout the previous year, it was only in February-March 2021, that a faint ray of hope of re-opening of schools and colleges tends to shine. However, even though educational institutes attempted resumption for an insignificantly small period of time, the second wave of the pandemic led to a further extension of the stay orders on offline functioning of schools and colleges in India.
In the very recent past, once again, there is a hope that educational institutions, including government and private schools as well as higher education institutes may resume as the COVID-19 graph is reportedly showing a gradual downturn. While there is no official confirmation or any indication of a full proof plan from the Central Government regarding the matter of re-opening of schools & colleges, certain states are actively considering re-opening of schools and colleges right from the start of July 2021. Find out here which states in India will re-open schools soon.
Bihar – Schools in the state of Bihar are reportedly expected to resume offline classes starting from July 2021 as per latest statements from state education minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary. The minister has recently opened up to the media indicating the possibility of schools re-opening from July although adequate measures will be taken for adherence to COVID-19 protocols. Bihar is one of the states that have successfully conducted the board exams this year and has also released the results.
Uttar Pradesh – Uttar Pradesh seems to follow in the footsteps of Bihar by considering re-opening of schools for Class 1 to 8 starting from July 2021. As per reports, there has been a recent announcement by government officials confirming the decision. As per reports, around 1.5 lakh government primary and upper primary schools in the state are set to re-open very soon with the COVID-19 casualties showing a significant decline. However, a final decision is yet to be announced regarding the resumption of offline classes for students of Class 9 to 12.
Maharashtra – As one of the most brutally affected states by the pandemic, Maharashtra education scenario has operated using online methods since early March 2020 when educational institutes were shut down for the first time last year. As per reports, offline classes in the state are scheduled to resume from July 2021. However, the state government has not confirmed any such decision as of now. With the latest academic session in the state having started from the middle of June, 2021, online methods are still prevailing in the state.
Telangana – As per reports, the Telangana state government has approved the re-opening of schools from July 01, 2021 onward. The state government has reportedly announced a complete withdrawal of lock down in the state. Although the government has allowed schools to resume classes from July 01, 2021, as per reports, parents have shown significant opposition against the decision. A portion of the parents have reportedly requested the government to continue with online classes with a third wave of the pandemic reportedly set to hit India before the end of this year.
Himachal Pradesh – The Himachal Pradesh state government has reportedly sanctioned the removal of stay orders from all medical, ayurvedic and dental colleges in the state. All Medical, ayurvedic and dental colleges are reportedly preparing to re-open since June 23, 2021. On the other hand, as per latest reports, the state will allow pharmacy and nursing colleges to re-open from June 28, 2021.
While the aforementioned India states are actively considering re-opening of schools and colleges, some states are still undecided and have resorted to continuing with online methods of teaching learning as the third wave of the pandemic looms in. This includes Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Assam, Kerala and Jammu & Kashmir. It can be expected that with situations normalizing further, all such states may also consider re-opening of schools although the health and well-being of students and school staff are being prioritized in every decision making process.
