Unlock 5.0 guidelines for reopening schools – After Uttar Pradesh and Sikkim reopened schools amid strict Unlock 5.0 guidelines, the Gujarat government is contemplating reopening schools in the state.

Punjab and Sikkim had earlier decided to reopen schools, however, according to Unlock 5.0 guidelines, only those schools which are outside containment zones are allowed to reopen from October 19 for students of class 9th to 12th.

Gujarat education minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama said that schools need to “reopen someday” while asserting that the “state government will not take such a crucial decision on its own”. The minister said that parents, teachers and other stakeholders need to be consulted before the state government decides to go ahead with the decision.

The final decision will then be taken by chief minister Vijay Rupani, deputy chief minister Nitin Patel and the state cabinet.

The educational institutes in Gujarat including schools and colleges have remained closed in Gujarat since March when the nationwide lockdown was announced by PM Modi, although online classes have been underway since then.

The government’s COVID-19 protocol mandates class attendance to be at 50 per cent per day with the remaining 50 per cent of students to attend classes the next day in order to ensure social distancing under the standard operating procedures (SOPs) laid down by the Union government.

In Uttar Pradesh, the students are being sent to school with parental guidance with classes held in shifts. Schools are to open for three hours a day. The COVID-19 protocol set by the government requires students to wear face masks in schools and parents have to ensure they tell their children not to exchange masks with others.

In Sikkim authorities have decided to do away with winter holidays with classes held six days a week with Saturday being a half day.

The current academic session in the state will end on February 13 next year and the next session will commence soon after within two days on February 15, 2021.