After a summer break of 11 days, schools in Odisha reopened on Friday, June 17, with a revised timeline and new learning calendar.
The class timing for the students has been kept from 10 am to 4 pm. Teachers, however, are required to reach schools by 9.30 am and stay on the campus till 4.30 pm.
Attendance of students on the day was relatively low. Besides, the adherence to COVID safety protocol was minimal in many schools due to the relaxation of norms.
Odisha School Education Programme Authority (OSEPA) officials said standing instructions have been given to all the schools to ensure strict adherence to COVID appropriate behaviour on the campuses as well as hostels to check the spread of infection as cases have started rising in the State gradually in the recent days. If required, the department may take up the matter with the DEOs again, they said.
Officials also said that the attendance will improve from next week onwards. The government had limited the summer vacation to 11 days from June 6 to 16 to carry out a learning recovery plan.
The School and Mass Education department had also asked the district education officers (DEOs) and officials of Samagra Siksha to prepare a learning calendar prior to the reopening of schools to ensure completion of 100 per cent syllabus in the 2022-23 academic session.
Officials said school headmasters have been instructed to convene meetings with their teaching staff for the preparation of lessons, timetables and lesson plan in accordance with the syllabus. Books developed under 'foundational literacy and numeracy' and other learning recovery programmes will be introduced at the elementary level in the new session.
