In adherence to Unlock 4 guidelines issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) last month, schools in Assam are set to open from today, six months after being shut due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to a report by The Indian Express, Himanta Biswa Sarma, state education minister, said, ‘Students of classes 9, 10 , 11 and 12 may attend schools/ colleges only if they have a written consent from their parents.’

While the Assam government released the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the reopening process on Wednesday, it said on Friday that attending schools was not compulsory for all. It added that the schools were opening specifically for the students to seek guidance.

‘The standard operating procedure for fresh re-opening of schools in the state of Assam from class 9, 10, 11 and 12 in the schools and colleges maintaining all the protocols of safety guidelines under the COVID-19 pandemic involves partial resumption in activities in schools for the students of classes 9th to 12th on a voluntary basis for taking guidance and counselling from the teachers,’ the government said.

As per the SOP, while classes for 9 and 12 will be conducted on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, classes for 10 and 11 will be conducted on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. All the classes will be conducted with students divided into two batches and with 50 per cent staff in attendance. While the first batch of students will attend classes from 9 am to 12 pm, the second batch will attend from 1 pm to 4 pm.

Furthermore, on a weekly basis, 10 per cent of teachers and students will be randomly checked and tested. Sarma added that if any particular school has many COVID-19 cases, the concerned authority can decide to keep it open or not. The order is applicable for both government and private educational institutions.

Also Read: Unlock 4.0: Schools To Reopen For Classes 9-12 From Sept 21 On Voluntary Basis