Schools may be closed if Covid situation worsens: UP govt

UP Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma informed the state legislative council on Thursday that though the state of Uttar Pradesh has decided to open schools for physical classes, attendance would not be necessary for students, and schools may be closed again if the Covid situation worsens. Sharma was responding to a question posed by teacher constituency member Dhruv Kumar Tripathi.

"In basic education, attendance is not compulsory. We have also not made attendance mandatory for classes from 9 to 12," Sharma said.

"Guardians, teachers and political organisations have also said the offline education should be started even if it is for a shorter period," he said.

"In UP, the present atmosphere is sufficiently secure, but if there is any indication of any concern (regarding Covid), we can also close schools," he added.

Tripathi further inquired if there was any arrangement in place for vaccinating teachers and students below 18. SP member Shatrudra Prakash also posed whether it is safe for little children to go to school without vaccination. Health Minister Jai Pratap Singh responded that vaccination for children below 18 is expected to be available by September. However, it is not available yet. Once available, a campaign would be launched to inoculate children.

The UP govt opened schools for classes 9 to 12 on August 16th. While physical classes for classes six to eight would start from August 23rd, those for classes one to five will start from September 1st.