Lockdown: Gujarat BJP ministers visit schools to ‘mark’ partial reopening

After nearly nine months of closure due to the coronavirus outbreak, the schools and colleges in the state resumed physical teaching on Monday. Apart from the students, teachers and other staff, several ministers and MLAs joined the schools on the first day in "welcoming" the students.

At these schools, the ministers were also "welcomed" by the students and the administrations.

"BJP government has done good development work. I welcome everyone behalf of Arapan International School," the announcer told over two dozen students sitting on the floor watching a ceremony in which minister of state for home Pradipsinh Jadeja and several local BJP leaders including the municipal councillor were present. Jadeja was welcomed by the school authority with a bouquet and a sanitiser kit.

State education minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama was welcomed at a school in Kalol taluka of Gandhinagar district. After the event, he told reporters that "with masks and social distancing schools have started in the state. These preventive measures are a must for everyone entering the campus." He said that permission has been given to open colleges for final year undergraduate and postgraduate students and schools for classes 10 and 12.

The government, while allowing the schools to resume physical classes, asked them to stick to the standard operating procedure for Covid-19 in the campuses that include social distancing, sanitisers, thermal guns among others. The institutes have also been instructed not to make attendance compulsory.

Meanwhile, the opposition Congress raised questions over the timing while stating that the government could have waited for a few more days since vaccination is about to start.

"We still have night restrictions while in the daytime you are asking students to come to campuses. The government should refrain from scoring political mileage by hurrying such moves affecting young lives. They could have waited for few more days since the vaccines are said to be arriving in the state soon," Gujarat Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi told DH. Incidentally, Gujarat is preparing for local body election next month.