In a major development, the Punjab State Government has given its nod to allow reopening of schools and coaching institutes for Class 9 to 12 students starting from 15th October 2020 onwards.
In line with the Unlock 5.0 guidelines of the Central Governments, Reopening of Schools will be done in a phased and graded manner. For now, the state government is planning to continue with the voluntary classes for school students and will not make attendance compulsory once the schools reopen. Moreover, students will be allowed to attend schools only with parental consent.
While school reopening has been allowed by the state Education Department, the state government has instructed schools to continue online classes for students. In fact, state government has asked schools to promote online classes and virtual education as the preferred mode of education for school students and encourage its wider adoption.
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As part of the revised guidelines and SOPs issued to facilitate reopening of schools in the state, the state government is planning to only allow 20 students from each section to attend the in-person or face to face classes, so that adequate social distance can be maintained. Moreover, the state government has issued guidelines for School Reopening in Punjab and allowed partial 3-hour classes each day as part of the SOPs.
