In a first, Odisha state government announced to keep all schools closed till December 31. With the notice, Odisha became the first state to decide to extend the closure of schools for the entire year since March when schools were shut due the pandemic.
The decision to keep the schools closed in Odisha was taken in view of the apprehensions of a second wave of pandemic. With experts predicting a second wave mid-December, the Odisha Government announced its decision to keep the schools closed.
The School and Mass Education (S&ME) department in a notification reads: “… the state government does hereby direct that all schools in the state shall remain closed till 31 December, 2020.”
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Education Minister of the state Samir Ranjan Dash has clarified that said that the state will not open schools for the students of class 8 to 12 from November 15 as was decided earlier. The decision came after CM Naveen Patnaik expressed concerns over possible second wave of the pandemic. Also, the contraction of infection by hundreds of teachers and students in Andhra Pradesh was a matter of concern and worry.
Maharashtra Government announced its decision to reopen the schools in the state from November 23 for classes 9 to 12. As for Karnataka, the decision to reopen schools has not been taken as yet and no date has been announced.
Notably, Uttarakhand announced closure of 84 schools after about 80 teachers tested positive. Also, neighbouring state Andhra Pradesh too has reported as many as 829 positive cases among the teachers since the schools reopened in the state from November 2, 2020.
