The state government will on Monday decide on reopening of schools for this academic year across the state. Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa has called a meeting on Monday with Primary and Secondary Education Minister S Suresh Kumar and officials from the departments of education, social welfare and health.

Suresh Kumar told The New Indian Express that they have already held a meeting with School Development and Monitoring Committee (SDMC) members and a report has been kept ready which will be presented to the chief minister at the meeting.

"We will take the opinion of health department officials before arriving at any decision," he said, adding however that this would be applicable only for government schools and government-aided schools with state syllabus. Education department officials said the opinions of parents, teachers and students from different parts of the state have already been taken and documented in the report.

Officials said the meeting will also discuss protocols to be put in place for reopening of schools, and they are likely to be similar to those made applicable for colleges. This meeting is being held in the background of degree and post-graduate colleges being reopened for offline classes from November 17. But it has evoked poor response from students with the attendance remaining abysmal. Some colleges even reported teachers taking classes with just one student in attendance.

Schools and colleges were ordered shut when COVID-19 started spreading. But now the government is planning to reopen colleges and schools in a staggered manner. While colleges have already reopened, a decision on schools is pending as a large section of parents and students are opposing as they fear the possibility of infection spreading among students attending classes.

Medical, dental and Ayush colleges are aiming at reopening from December 1, while the education department is contemplating reopening pre-university colleges from the second week of December. But the final decision is still pending. Besides parents and students, opposition parties, as well as a section of the ruling BJP MLAs, continue to oppose reopening of schools.