38% schools reopen in state; attendance remains under 15%

Pune: About 38% of schools in Maharashtra have reopened since the state government in mid-July allowed resumption of physical classes in rural areas having a low Covid-19 positivity rate.

Deepak Kadam, a teacher at a zilla parishad school in Bhor taluka of Pune district, said children were enthusiastic about attending classes but there were few students, and it was the parents who were not keen on physical classes. “As a result, we have to continue teaching virtually and in classrooms too,” said Kadam.

Based on the data provided by the State Council of Education Research and Training (SCERT), an estimated 1.52 lakh students are attending offline classes and 17,701 schools have reopened in Amravati, Aurangabad, Nagpur, Nashik, Pune, Mumbai and Latur divisions.

Initially, the state government had announced reopening of schools in urban areas from October 17, but the order was later withdrawn citing safety concerns.

As the positivity rate dipped across Maharashtra, the state government said schools can resume physical classes, especially for Classes VIII to XII. The government also decided to start offline classes for standards five to seven, but later withdrew it. The state government’s task force is not keen on physical classes in view of an impending third wave of Covid-19.

Earlier in August, state education minister Varsha Gaikwad had said that it was up to the local officials to take a call on resuming physical classes in schools based on an assessment of the the pandemic situation in their areas.