Attendance not to be made mandatory once schools reopen: Health Minister

Since the schools are about to reopen is several states in the upcoming months, the Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan stated that the attendance of students will not be made mandatory in the initial phase considering the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

With the release of the Unlock 5 guidelines, it is expected that the schools will be open soon. Since the schools are about to reopen is several states in the upcoming months, the Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan stated that the attendance of students will not be made mandatory in the initial phase considering the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The minister also mentioned that rejoining schools would be based on consent. During his weekly online interaction, “Sunday Samvaad” the minister said students who will be attending classes will need to get a consent form signed by their parents before re-joining.

“The guidelines by the Ministry of Home Affairs state students may attend school only with the written consent of parents and that attendance will not be enforced upon the students,” Harsh Vardhan said. He further stated that it will be mandatory for all the schools to follow the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs while reopening the schools and resuming regular classes.

Apart from informing that the attendance is not compulsory in schools, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan also stated that all schools are required to promote online learning for the students who cannot go to school due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation. Mr Vardhan also asked parents to arrange well-lit rooms for the children who are taking online classes, to prevent strain on their eyes while using devices such as laptops, mobiles or computers, while noting that a limit is set for the screen time of online classes. According to a reputed media house, the minister said, "For nursery level, parents will be guided to assist the kids and this class will be of 30 minutes; students from Class 1 to 8 will be allowed to take two sessions of not more than 45 minutes each, and four sessions not more than 45 minutes each for students from class 9 to 12."

He also issued definite ideal screen times for school students of different classes so that they don’t strain their eyes during online classes before the conduction of regular classes from schools.

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