Schools reopen for classes 8th to 12 for students in Kashmir.

Srinagar, Mar 1:Most of the students from 9th to 12th standard on Monday attended schools in Kashmir Valley amid COVID-19 protocol.

The schools are opening in staggered manner and many schools have applied an odd-even formula which entails having only 50% of students on campus on any given day.

Teachers of the elementary classes (up to class 8) have been asked to attend the schools from March 1 for preparation while students shall physically attend the classes from March 8.

Last week, colleges opened in Kashmir more than 11 months after the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic that had prompted closure of educational institutions across the valley.

Even before the Covid-19 forced their closure, the educational institutes remained closed for nearly a year on account of the security and communication clampdown following the revocation of the Article 370 on 5 August 2019.

The educational institutions reopened in summer zone areas of Jammu last month. While the educational institutes for 9 to 12th had started from February 1, the class work for the students of classes 1 to 8 resumed a week later.

In the revised guidelines on COVID containment measures issued in January this year, the administration had allowed schools, colleges, higher educational institutions, technical or skill development institutions to reopen from February 1.

The government has time and again stressed that the notified Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) guidelines shall remain unaltered and shall be followed in “letter and spirit”.