The Maharashtra government had recently announced that the schools in the state will be reopening from November 23 for students of classes 9 to 12. After the state government conducted a meeting, it is seeking the opinions of parents and teachers regarding the same.

The education minister of Maharashtra, Varsha Gaikwad, recently tweeted that a meeting regarding the safe reopening of schools from November 23 has been conducted with some senior officials, and now it’s the turn of parents and teachers to give their opinions.

The education minister tweeted, “calling on all schools, teachers, students & parents to come forward with any suggestions or opinions regarding re-opening of schools.”

Held a meeting with dept officials regarding opening of schools for Std 9-12 from Nov 23. Amid the pandemic, our teachers have strived to keep education on track for our children. But a blended approach to education is needed to ensure that the last child receives education. pic.twitter.com/mZHaDoQLyI

— Varsha Gaikwad (@VarshaEGaikwad) November 14, 2020

Gaikwad also tweeted a list of guidelines suggested by the senior official regarding the safe reopening of schools that includes a thermal check of all the students and proper sanitisation of classrooms.

The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) Education Officer Shivaji Daundkar also said that it is planning to reopen schools on November 23 and the daily school capacity will be 50 percent wherein each student will be called to school every alternate day. Students will have to get parents’ approval to rejoin school. “We’ll focus on three subjects for now – English, Maths and Science,” Daundkar said.

Meanwhile, the Maharashtra education department warned schools against sharing the personal data of students to private agencies and coaching classes after several parents about the same. In a circular issued recently, the department has stated that schools will face action if complaints of data breach are reported.

“During the current situation, as learning has moved online, schools are using various tools for e-learning. For the purpose of online education, schools have collected contact details of students and parents. However, in many cases, this data is shared with private agencies that use it for marketing. Schools should refrain from such practices,” stated the circular.

Read: Maharashtra schools to reopen from Nov 23 for classes 9 to 12: Varsha Gaikwad

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