Despite concerns about increasing COVID-19 cases, the Kerala government is mulling to reopen schools as it has decided to set up an expert panel to study the present circumstances in the state and submit a report in this regard.

General Education Minister V Sivankutty said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the high level committee monitoring the COVID situation and guiding actions to deal with the disease in the state would take a final decision on the school reopening.

"The Education Department is contemplating to set up a suitable expert panel to submit a report to know whether the circumstances in the state are all right to reopen the schools," he told reporters here.

Besides this, the Department would prepare a project report detailing which classes can be reopened in the initial phase, what facilities can be ensured for the safety of children in the coronavirus situation and so on.

Both the reports would be submitted to the Chief Minister and the high level COVID committee, who would take a final decision on the reopening of schools, he added.

Classes for school students have been conducted in the online mode in the southern state for the last two academic years after the pandemic outbreak.