After a gap of almost 10 months and amid the COVID-19 pandemic, schools and colleges classes from Class one and above reopened on Wednesday in Manipur.
Almost all the schools and colleges re-opened and resumed normal classes. Almost all teaching staff attended while students’ attendances were reportedly low on the day of the resumption of the normal physical classes.
The educational institutes reopened with several COVID-19 safety SOPs in place.
Stringent safety measures were seen taken up at the schools and colleges which opened for the first time following the SOPs issued by the state government.
Authorities of the institutions also displayed SOPs and other guidelines at the notice boards and at the entrance gate as well.
Teachers and students were sanitized their hands with sanitizers and soap arranged by authorities at the entrance gate while entering the campus.
Face masks were made compulsory for teachers and students and they were not allowed entering the school campus without wearing a mask.
Students were aware of the safety tips and the need for maintaining social distance inside the class room.
To maintain social distancing, each class was divided into many sections, authority of a school in Imphal said.
Apart from schools, normal classes for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd semesters were also resumed in the colleges.
During the lockdown, most schools and colleges switched to online classes and even conducted exams online. No such arrangement was however made for students of most of the government schools.
For the colleges, the final semester’s exams was already conducted as they continued online classes.
However, online classes were incomplete, said the students who revealed various problems they faced during online classes.
They said that at some point of time, they found it hard to understand the lessons taught by the teachers due to network problems which are very common in most part of the state.
They could not interact with the teachers satisfactorily and consult freely, the students revealed.
“I am very happy when the physical class resume, thinking that I will able to interact directly with teacher,” a student said.
A school authority said that he was happy to see the students coming to school after a gap of almost 10 months.
At the same time, they were doing their best for the safety of the students.
“For us students are the VIPs and we are doing our best for the safety of the students,” he said.
Each class are divided into sections based on the strength so as to ensure social distancing while studying, he added.
Recently, N Biren Singh cabinet decided to reopen the schools and colleges for resumption of normal classes for Class-IX and above.
While announcing the reopening of the schools and colleges to resume the physical classes, the state government had stated the willing students to attend classes will be tested prior to their attendance and only Covid-19 negative students will be allowed to attend classes.
Consent certificate from the respective guardians, parents also have to be produced.
The directorate of education (school) in an order issued recently had stated that the decision to re-open schools for Classes 9-12 for the academic session 2020 was taken in order to prepare students for the ensuring examinations viz. promotion, HSLC, and HSE, etc.
