The Jharkhand Education Project Council (JPEC) in collaboration with UNICEF has announced a list of Standard Operating Procedures or SOPs, for school reopening with due adherence to safety protocols, through a webinar to stop the spread of novel coronavirus.
The Council has formulated e-modules of SOPs for school reopening which will be fundamental in helping schools to implement, communicate and monitor social distancing, personal hygiene and norms for sanitising the premises.
SOP Guidelines
- Mandatory masks for students, staff and teachers
- Postponement of assembly prayers and sports
- Flexible attendance policy and sick leave
- Deployment of alcohol based sanitizers and soap at entry points
- Close monitoring of students’ health
On the webinar titled ‘COVID-19 Awareness and Preparedness in Schools,’ officials have postponed assembly prayers, recreational gatherings and sports activities for maintaining social distancing with appropriate gap between two students in classrooms.
“Under Unlock-2.0, schools and colleges will be shut till July 31. However, the Centre gives relaxations at regular intervals. The Centre might allow some states, where Covid-19 cases are comparatively low, to open schools. So, we should be prepared in advance. These SOPs will help spread awareness among teachers, students and parents much before opening of the schools,” commented Rahul Sharma, Secretary of School Education and Literacy Department.
The government will spend on the requisite safety measure for the continuum of a robust educational system in the state.
“We need masks, thermal guns, hand washing units and sanitizers on a large scale. We will request corporate units, banks and civil societies if they can help schools in their catchment areas,” Sharma further added.