The Odisha State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (OSCPCR) has recommended the reopening of the schools for the lower class students in view of the decreasing trend of COVID-19.
The State government has already reopened the schools for Class,9,10, and 12 students as Covid cases declined in the State.
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“While appreciating the reopening of Class-X and Class- XII as students, teachers, and officials raised their voices in support of reopening of elementary classes. The Commission also recommends reopening Class VI, VII, and VIII in phase manner”, OSCPCR Chairperson, Sandhyabati Pradhan wrote in a letter to the Secretary, school, and mass education department.
The department may issue necessary instructions to allocate one and half hours each day for two days a week to each class, she said.
The School Management Committees (SMCs) must be consulted prior to the reopening of schools. The SMCs along with the teachers may rework the School Development Plan in the context of COVID to develop a risk assessment and management plan. The SMC can be empowered to fix the date of reopening and timing of their respective school, she concluded.
On the other hand, the State is currently experiencing an exceedingly disturbing trend of children being increasingly infected with COVID-19. As many as 604 children in the 0-18 age group have tested positive for Covid-19 in the past five days, fueling apprehension that there will be a ratio of children contracting the disease in the possible 3rd wave of the pandemic.