School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond emphasised today that the District Collectors have the last say regarding the reopening of schools in Odisha, given the current weather conditions in their respective districts, amidst the mounting anxiety surrounding the matter.
The schools were originally supposed to reopen on June 18, but the OSSTA and parents’ associations asked for an extension, so they did. Collectors have been instructed to make the final decision while taking the local weather in their districts into account, though the hot and muggy conditions are still present in some areas of the state.
Schools would reopen for morning classes from 6:30 am to 10:30 am in districts with favourable weather.
“We had instructed the District Collectors to start morning classes in districts with favourable weather and a likelihood of rainfall. Minister Gond stated, “Collectors were given the authority to take necessary decisions taking into consideration the prevailing hot and humid weather conditions in districts that are still reeling from the heat.”
“We have not yet made any decisions regarding the reopening of schools,” he continued. In this regard, no firm decision has been made. The choice will be made before the official announcement.
Noteworthy, the districts of Ganjam, Bhadrak, Bargarh, Sundargarh, Sonepur, and Sambalpur have announced reopening on June 21, while Balasore and Kendrapara have reopened schools for morning classes starting on June 19.
In a similar vein, schools in Mayurbhanj and Naygarh will hold morning sessions from June 20 to 22. Similar decisions were made by the collectors of Khordha, Cuttack, Deogarh, Jagatsinghpur, Angul, and Puri to permit the reopening of schools, which will operate from 6:30 am to 10:30 am through June 20.
In a similar vein, schools in Keonjhar, Kalahandi, and Nabarangpur reopened on June 18 and will hold morning sessions through June 22.
