Earlier, all the educational institutes in the state of Sikkim were going to reopen from July 1. But the Sikkim government has decided to defer the reopening by a month. The Government officials said that the reopening of all schools, colleges, universities and teacher education institutes would comply with the UGC and the central government directives. And the schools and colleges of Sikkim will reopen in August.
Because of the COVID 19 outbreak, the government officials decided to resume classes in all the educational institutions from the first week of August this year. The State Task Force decided on last Friday at a high-level meeting. The Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang presided over this meeting.
The officials stated, “there is a need for abundant precaution to resume educational activities in Sikkim given the spike in COVID-19 cases.” Sikkim has reported 63 COVID 19 cases till Saturday.
CBSE EXAMINATIONS – BEFORE REOPENING OF SCHOOLS IN SIKKIM
Meanwhile, according to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), the pending standard 10 and 12 board exams will be held from July 1-15. The authorities dismissed the exams in March because of the nationwide lockdown imposed on March 25.
The Board examinations will be held in all the senior secondary schools in Sikkim. This will ensure the safety of the students. The increased number of centres will not only prevent gathering in a common centre but also help maintain social distancing.
Those students from Sikkim stranded in other states may apply for a change in centre. They can appear for the board exams from a centre nearest to them. To read further about the latest details related to the CBSE Board Examinations, visit https://awareearth.org/index.php/educational/559/cbse-notification-for-class-10-12-exams-from-july-1-15/
EARLIER NEWS
Three weeks ago, the officials said that it would reopen its schools and colleges on June 15. The Sikkim government decided in a cabinet meeting. The Sikkim Education Minister K. N. Lepcha made the announcement. He further informed that the wearing of masks will be made compulsory for students.
The government kept the schools closed for quite some time. Even before the imposition of the nationwide lockdown, most schools shut down and suspended their classes. Because of this, the Education Minister announced to reopen schools on 15th June, provided that the future situations don’t get worse.
But at that time, Sikkim had managed to remain COVID free. Because of the inevitable situation of the COVID 19 Pandemic, and the rising number of cases, the authorities pushed further the reopening date. Thus leading to the reopening of schools and colleges in August.
REOPENING PROCEDURE
The government decided to reopen the schools and colleges in separate steps. The junior classes from kindergarten to class 8 will not start at first. But the higher classes, that is from class 9 to 12 will resume first when the reopening of schools and colleges in August will take place.
Once the schools and colleges reopen, the school authorities will impose various guidelines regarding social distancing along with the instructions given by the MHRD. Schools will not conduct morning assemblies to prevent huge common gatherings. Because at this point, we all need to maintain social distancing to keep ourselves safe. School authorities must arrange the classrooms in such a way that the students and teachers can maintain evident social distancing measures.
As far as talking about colleges, students won’t have to attend on-campus classes every day. The colleges will try to conduct the classes online as much as possible. Only compulsory studio classes will be taken in the classrooms. Apart from that, similar protocols like the schools will be followed even in colleges.
CORONAVIRUS STATUS IN SIKKIM
Sikkim was Coronavirus free till May 23, when it detected its first COVID 19 positive case. The state faced a major jump in the COVID 19 cases when 36 new cases were reported on Friday.
Sikkim was one of the first states to seal its borders and stop cross border movement, except the transportation of essential goods. The state restrictions were lifted slowly once the Central government eased its nationwide lockdown. The Sikkimese residents who were stranded in other states are now allowed to travel back to Sikkim.
“Of 36 cases which tested positive yesterday, 34 are (returnees) from Maharashtra, one from Siliguri (West Bengal), and one from Kolkata,” Sikkim Health Secretary Dr Pempa Bhutia said. “A group of 191 people returned from Maharashtra on June 4; they were immediately quarantined.”
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