Local officials to make decision on 'Maharashtra School Reopening' amid COVID-19

Maharashtra School Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad said that the discretion to make decisions on school reopening has been given to the municipal commissioners in urban areas and collectors and Zilla Parishad CEOs in rural areas.

Maharashtra School Reopening: Considering the COVID-19 situation in an area, the local officials can decide whether physical classes should be resumed at schools or not, said Maharashtra School Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad on August 12. Ms Gaikwad further informed that the decision-making has been decentralized when asked about the confusion over the government's announcement to resume more physical classes at schools from August 17. According to the reports, the minister said, "There is no compulsion (on the state government's part) to reopen schools. The COVID task force members were not aware of our Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). There will be a meeting again. Our (education department's) secretary is studying the SOP of the task force.”

Meanwhile, on the other hand, the confusion over school reopening in Maharashtra is being called the result of a lack of coordination in the government on the issue by the opposition party. Reports suggest that the state task force on COVID-19 at a meeting on Wednesday night opposed the decision to resume more classes at schools.

While Ms Gaikwad was not present at the meeting. The minister told that the discretion to take decisions has been given to the municipal commissioners in urban areas and collectors and Zilla Parishad CEOs in rural areas.

Concerning the health emergency amid the COVID-19 pandemic and talking about the confusion over school reopening, the former chief minister, Devendra Fadnavis said that the task force, education minister Gaikwad and Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, i.e. all the stakeholders must sit together and arrive at a consensus. 

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