HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Says Schools Likely To Reopen After August 2020

NEW DELHI: Union Human Resources Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal in an interview said that Schools in India are likely to reopen after August 2020. He asserted that, "If the situation is conducive and the Home Ministry permits then we can open schools in August. The schools are likely to be reopened after August 15.”

Due to the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic, schools and colleges have remained closed since March 16. According to the reports in the end of May, it was thought that the schools and colleges would reopen in July with 30% attendance. It is also stated that the educational institutions in Green and Orange zones will reopen in July.

After many days of confusion, the HRD Minister cleared that schools and colleges would be reopened after August 2020, possibly even after August 15, 2020. He further added that the results of the pending exams can be expected before August 15. The CBSE board exams will be held from July 1 to 15, while ICSE/ ISC will conduct the exams from July 1 to 12.

In a webinar that has taken place in the last month, the minister said that, “It is quite possible that classes would be able to incapacitate only 30 per cent of students they used to have before coronavirus. These modalities are being worked out by NCERT.”

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said that "Syllabus be reduced by at least 30 percent across all grades and subjects. Emphasis should be on depth in learning and understanding rather than spreading far and wide. Combine this with exam reforms. CBSE should move away from the one-time high-stake exam of class 10 and 12 to a model of continuous evaluation so that students can take the online exam whenever they want."