Schools, colleges and universities in West Bengal reopened on Tuesday after a gap of 20 months, as the Covid situation across the state improved significantly.

The offline classes from class 9 to 12 resumed in West Bengal from today with Covid measures. Speaking to ANI, Susmita Chakraborty, Principal of Maharishi Vidya Mandir School, Kolkata said that we are following all the Covid protocols in the school. “Thermal checking is being done. We have placed hand sanitisers in the school. Only 1 student is allowed per bench and classes have been divided into 2 batches- 4 periods each,” said Susmita Chakraborty.

The students at Siliguri Boys High School were welcomed with chocolates. The temperature of students was checked and their hands were sanitised at the entrance of the school. Utpal Dutta, Headmaster of Siliguri Boys High School said that he is very happy to see children back at school and appreciated the decision taken by the state government.

“I am extremely happy to see the children back. We had been waiting for them. We are really appreciating this decision taken by the state govt. We will try our best to keep the environment healthy- both education wise and healthwise,” said Utpal Dutta. The students expressed their excitement and happiness on returning to school after a long gap.

A class 10 student from Maharishi Vidya Mandir School said, “For a long time we were having online classes. So we are very happy to come back to school. We are again going to enjoy long back days which we have been missing for so long more than 2 years. The school has made very good arrangements for our safety. At the entrance of the school, our temperature was checked.”

Another student from the same school said that she is very happy and excited to see her friends after a long time. “We are very happy that we are back to school. After a long time, we are with our friends. We are also maintaining social distancing. Only 1 student is allowed per bench and we are sitting in a zigzag manner. Our exams are very near so we have to maintain proper care,” she added.

Schools were shut down in March 2020 due to the outbreak of Covid across the country and reopened briefly in mid-February in 2021 before they were shut again due to the West Bengal assembly elections and the second wave of the pandemic.

Safety measures: Serampore Girls High School took several measures to ensure covid safety at the campus which include setting up an isolation room. The headmistress of the school, Dr Ivy Sarkar, said if any student is found showing symptoms of flu, they will be sent to the isolation room for observation and medical advice and care. Parents of such students will be called while a medical practitioner will attend to such students in the isolation room.

Meanwhile, on the first day of the resumption of normal classes, 15 students of Netaji Mahavidyalaya College, Goghat were denied entry into the college campus as authorities said the students have not received their first dose of covid vaccination.

The affected students and their parents argued that vaccination is not being administered to anyone below 18 years and hence the college authorities are being absurd in their claims. The students have written to the Arambagh SDO seeking his intervention in this regard.

The students were stopped at the college gate and asked to produce the first dose vaccination certificate. They claimed that though it is true that vaccination camps were set up at the college, it was nowhere mentioned that doses will also be administered to students below 18 years.