Educational institutions in Assam likely to be reopened in September, says Himanta Biswa Sarma

Guwahati: Assam health and education minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday said that the educational institutions, closed due to the outbreak of the COVID-19, are likely to reopen in the month of September.

The Minister, talking to mediapersons, further stated that the number of virus cases is likely to decline in the month of September, which would likely open the doors for the resumption of academics in September.

Schools, colleges, and universities have been closed since the month of March when the COVID-19 first started making its presence felt in the country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced lockdown, which came into effect on March 25, necessitated the closure of all educational institutions to mitigate the risk of the spread of the virus.

Meanwhile, classes are being conducted via 'online teaching' mode. However, this is not a feasible prospect in the remoter regions of Assam, which are many in number. Thus, the reopening of schools could potentially come as a succor to the parents from the remoter belts who have seen their wards being left behind during the lockdown-unlock-lockdown phases.

As of now, the country remains divided on whether the schools and colleges should be kept closed or not. Although it is generally believed that the lockdown was a much-needed exercise in the initial stages to gauge the threat-level of the virus, but many, including Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, feel that the lockdown has overstayed its welcome.

With the Centre's Unlock 2.0 coming to an end on July 31, all eyes will be on the Government's new rules that shall come into effect with the coming of the Unlock 3.0 phase. For sure, there will be several more relaxations, while many restrictions are also expected to remain in place.

As per initial reports, in this next phase of the 'unlock', the Government shall reopen the gymnasiums and cinema halls (with restrictions), while keeping the schools and metro train services closed.

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