All schools in Kerala, including kindergartens, will resume functioning from Monday.
Education Minster V Sivankutty said that initially, the classes would be till noon only. From February 21, schools would start functioning in the afternoon also. Saturdays will be working days, and annual exams will also be conducted.
The minister said that teachers should pursue maximum students to attend the regular classes. Online classes would also continue, considering the genuine concerns of some of the students.
Meanwhile, some teachers from the Pro-Congress teachers' organisations have opposed the decision to conduct classes on Saturdays also. The issue would be raised at a meeting of teachers' service organisations convened by the education minister on Tuesday.
The government decided to reopen schools as there is a considerable decline in Covid. The test positivity rate (TPR) that went up to nearly 50% a couple of weeks back has come down below 20%. On Sunday, the TPR was 18.435, and the number of active cases was 1.6 lakh.
Meanwhile, health department sources said that many people with symptoms like fever were now remaining in self-quarantine and taking medicines without undergoing Covid test. Hence, the actual number of Covid cases may vary.
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