Allow partial schools reopening from January for class 10, 12: CISCE writes to all CMs

The board had to cancel its pending exams in March view of the spike in Covid-19 cases

The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examination (CISCE) has requested the chief ministers of all states to allow the partial reopening of schools, particularly for students of classes 10 and 12, from January 4, 2021. However, the Karnataka government is yet to take a call on the request by the Council.

In a statement released to the media, CISCE said allowing partial reopening of schools will help students physically attend the classes and utilise the time for practical work, SUPW work, project work and for getting doubts cleared by the teachers.

The Council said, if allowed to open, the schools will adhere to the Covid-19 safety guidelines issued by the governments and adopt SOPs of the respective state health departments.

This apart, CISCE has sought details on any possible election dates from the Election Commission, to schedule the annual examinations for classes 10 and 12 of the ICSE board, for 2021.

Commenting on the ISCE board's request, an official from the Department of Primary and Secondary Education told DH that even the state technical advisory committee had recommended partial reopening of schools. "But the committee has also cautioned about the possible second wave of Covid in January-February," the officer said.

However, the department said that a decision will be taken towards the end of December.

"A high-level meeting presided over by the CM towards the end of this month will decide on the reopening of schools. We (the government) are also keen on resuming classes for classes 10 and 12 of all the boards in January. However, everything is subject to CM's approval," the officer explained.