GUWAHATI: The Elementary, Secondary and Higher Education Department of the Assam Government has issued new standard operating procedure (SOP) for re-opening of Schools/Colleges/Engineering Colleges/Polytechnics/Private educational institutions as well as Govt. and private training and coaching institutes/universities in the State. The SOP will come into effect from 2nd November.
Attendance of students must not be enforced and shall be purely based on parental consent, states the Assam government in its latest guidelines.
As per the guidelines, in Upper Primary, Secondary and Senior Secondary schools, for students of class VI, VIII, X and XII, classes will be conducted on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Classes VII, IX and XI, classes will be conducted on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
Fixation of first batch and second batch of students will be done by the Head of the Institution, and institutions will prepare a daily routine chart for imparting, giving equal importance to all subjects.
The first batch of students will come at 08.00 AM and stay up to 12.00 Noon and the second batch of students will come at 12.30 PM and stay up to 03.30 PM.
As for midday meals, the first batch will have their midday meal from 11.30 AM to 12.00 noon, and the next batch from 12.30 PM to 01.00 PM. SMC/SMDC shall distribute food security allowance to the eligible absentee children as per entitlements/ norms following the guidelines of distribution of food security allowance.
Sanitization has to be done on every weekend (preferably on every Sunday).
Before the schools reopen, Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) of all Teachers/Cooks/ Staff members have to be done and thereafter periodic testing at an interval of 30 days from time to time.
Temperatures check of all students/teachers etc. shall be done every day through thermo scanner.
Whenever any single COVID-19 positive case is detected in the school premises and thereafter, the school should be opened the next day only for COVID 19 testing of all, and in case of multiple positive cases detected in the school premises, the institution will be closed for a period of 7 days.
School buses will carry 1/3 intake of the students in the bus.
In respect of those educational institutions which do not have potable water/drinking water facilities/stations, the school shall not be re-opened on 2nd November 2020 and the decision in this connection will be taken by the Deputy Commissioner of the District.
However, all hostel facilities in schools and colleges will remain suspended until further orders.
Online mode of education will continue for students who prefer to attend online classes rather than physically attend schools/colleges.