Tamil Nadu government has allowed students of Classes 10, 11, and 12 to attend schools on a voluntary basis to seek guidance from teachers starting October 1, 2020. The SOPs issued by the TN government is applicable for government, government-aided and private schools on the condition that the campuses are outside containment zones and students as well as teachers living in containment zones will not be allowed to visit the schools. Schools across the country had already been permitted to call 50 per cent of the teachers to provide guidance as well.
Schools in the state remained shut since March when the national lockdown for COVID-19 was announced. Earlier this month, the Union Health Ministry had issued guidelines for the partial reopening of schools and had specified that schools were permitted to call students of classes 9 to 12 in case they needed to meet their teachers for guidance. And that it will be subject to the written consent of their parents or guardians.
After the central government issued SOP, the Tamil Nadu state government has issued the Standard Operating Procedure for students to attend schools.
Here's the list of SOPs below:
- The students of Classes 10, 11, and 12 would be divided into two batches. Students of only one batch shall be permitted on a single day. The first batch will be permitted to visit the school on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and the second batch would be permitted on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
- Schools premises along with furniture, handrails, doors, windows, etc should be disinfected properly with 1 per cent sodium hypochlorite solution before allowing students into schools. As per the SOP, this exercise should be done every morning before the classes begin.
- Students will have to maintain social distancing norms along with teaching and non-teaching staff. A total of 50 per cent of students will be called to schools in a class on a day to avoid crowding. Proper boxes would be marked on the floor or ground for students where they either have to stand or sit.
- The physical distancing of at least six feet is to be followed as far as possible. Similar distancing shall also be maintained in staff rooms, office areas, and in other places.
- Wearing of face masks is mandatory for teachers, students, and staff involved in the work. Touching of the mask should be kept to a minimum and everyone should wear a mask in all areas of the schools' premises.
- Schools will install thermal screeners for checking the temperature of all students, staff, and teachers who will arrive at the school. Each and every student, teachers, and others should wait patiently in a queue for thermal checking.
- Sharing of items like notebooks, pens, pencils, erasers, water bottles, etc amongst students should be not allowed.
State Education Minister K A Sengottaiyan had earlier hinted that there would not be any phased reopening in schools across Tamil Nadu and would be opened simultaneously once the pandemic situation is under the control of the state.
