After almost one and a half years of Covid-19 pandemic enforced closure thousands of primary schools in Uttarakhand would reopen from September 21. The orders to open the schools in the State were given by the Education Minister Arvind Pandey on Friday.

The education department would now issue the order and SOPs to be followed in opening of the schools. However the parents would have the option of not sending their wards to the schools. The minister has assured that for students of classes I to V, studies would be done in both online and offline modes.

Pandey said that he has asked the education department to start all the government and private primary schools in the state from September 21. The minister said that the students are away from the schools for quite a long time and now when things have got somewhat normalised on the Covid-19 front, the Uttarakhand government has decided to open schools in the state.

Pandey however added that the pandemic of Covid-19 is not over yet so he has directed the officers that the protocols of Covid-19 should be followed in the schools. The minister categorically said that the parents would not be forced to send their wards to the schools and would have the option of online studies as well.

The schools were closed on March 14, 2020 in Uttarakhand to prevent students from Covid-19 infection. Though the minister has assured that the Covid-19 protocol would be observed in the schools, the experts are sceptical of it.

They opine that it would be almost impossible to ensure that students of primary sections follow the guideline and adopt Covid-19 appropriate behaviour. The parents are concerned since the vaccination of children has not started yet and experts have warned that the third wave of pandemic would affect the children the most.