Schools, Colleges to Reopen in August: HRD Minister calls for a meeting of State Education Secretaries

Schools, Colleges to Reopen in August: HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank has directed officials from the ministry to hold a meeting with State Education secretaries from across the country on the issue of reopening of schools and conduct of academic classes until then via digital mode or virtual televised classes for students. HRD Minister announced the has directed Anita Karwal, Secretary, School Education and Literacy department, MHRD, to hold a direct meeting with the state education secretaries to review the current state of school and higher education in different states, amid the on-going COVID-19 pandemic. The meeting is aimed at reviewing and sharing experiences and knowledge about health and safety of students, hygiene measures, issues related to online or digital learning in different states, which will help state governments to better ensure minimal academic loss for students.

33 Crore Students Waiting for Reopening of Schools, Colleges

According to the data available currently, around 33 crore students from all across India have been affected due to the closure of educational institutions in the country. Since the closure of schools and colleges in March, students have been left with no clear indication about the reopening of schools. Many fake reports and speculative news have hinted at reopening of schools and higher education institutions in July. Students and parents, who are concerned about the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the country, have raised an objection against it, citing risk of coronavirus infection. However, the statement by HRD Minister confirming reopening of educational institutions in August 2020 has addressed their concerns.

Board Results by 15^th August 2020

According to the interview of HRD Minister, all stake holders, especially state boards and CBSE and CISCE Boards, have been asked to complete all the pending board exams and declare their results in the month of July. The declaration of Board Exam results will pave the first step towards the admission process for next academic year. "We are trying to get declared all the results from the examinations this session by August 15. This means those exams which have already taken place before and those which are taking place now," HRD Minister told BBC.