Central govt’s residential schools to reopen for classes 11 and 12 with 50% capacity

The reopening schedule of the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas will depend on state-specific rules. The children will be allowed to attend classes only after parental consent.

A JNV campus in Jaipur (representational image) | Commons

New Delhi: Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs), the residential schools under the central government, have been granted permission to re-open for classes 11 and 12 with 50 per cent capacity.

According to a statement issued Friday evening by the Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS), a body under the education ministry that looks after the JNVs, the exact reopening schedule of the schools will depend on the Covid rules of the state they’re situated in.

“Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti has decided to re-open the JNVs upto 50 percent capacity, in a phased manner for Classes 11 to 12, as per the notification of States/UTs which have permitted re-opening of schools by following approved SOP for opening schools,” read the statement.

It added that students will be allowed to attend classes and stay in hostels only after getting consent from parents.

“Provision of online education will also continue. Arrangement is also in place for providing support to ensure mental and physical health and well-being of students through proper counseling,” said the NVS.

The residential schools have been shut since March last year after the term-end examination. Physical classes resumed only in February this year for a brief period for classes 10 and 12 before they were suspended again around March.

Centre’s guidelines to reopen residential schools

According to the guidelines issued by the central government for residential schools, authorities are supposed to maintain Covid protocols in the residential area as well as the school building.

In hostels, considerable distance has to be maintained between two beds in the dormitories, only one child cab occupy a desk and there have to be isolation rooms on campus.

Under the guidelines, schools have also been asked to have compulsory medical support on the premises and ensure screening of children before they start staying at the hostels.

Currently, only 10 states and Union Territories — Lakshadweep, Puducherry, Nagaland, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh — have reopened schools in a phased manner

The Delhi government Friday decided to reopen schools from 1 September in a phased manner. Most of the states have reopened schools only for senior classes.