Government of Kerala's Minister for General Education V Sivankutty on Sunday said that the guidelines for reopening schools in the state will be followed strictly. 

The minister said that the officials concerned should check the guidelines and take appropriate action. He also said that if for any reason, the school could not provide the necessary security facilities before it reopens, it should find safer schools or institutions nearby and conduct classes there temporarily. 

The minister was speaking to the media after visiting the flood-hit areas in Thiruvananthapuram. "The state government will give priority to the safety and health of children. The heavy rain over the last two days has been unpredictable. There are indications that it will continue to rain for the next two days. Extreme levels of flood danger were announced in at least two places in the state. In the event of any damage reported to any of the schools, classes will not be allowed in the school building for any reason," Sivankutty said.

The minister also added that the schools may be opened only with the certificate of the authorised officials of the concerned corporation, local self-governments and public works department. The minister said efforts should be made to restore the functioning of the school as soon as possible after the rains, led by teachers parents organisations, a local formation committee, the education department and local bodies.