Bengaluru: The Karnataka government has not yet decided to re-open schools, state Education Minister S Suresh Kumar said on Wednesday. The Education Department would give a report to the Chief Minister in the next four or five days to take a call, Kumar said.
“Today, we had a discussion with the officials and gathered information on opening of the schools…Our department has not taken any decision yet,” he told reporters after a meeting with the officials and office- bearers of teachers’ associations.
The department would hold more meetings with the officials of the social welfare department, Bengaluru civic agency, health department and representatives of school development and monitoring committees. The department would compile the views of various stakeholders and furnish a report to the government, Suresh Kumar said.
“After collecting all the information, we will submit a report to the Chief Minister. We will explain to him the entire situation and then we will announce our future course of action,” the Minister said.
To a question on when the department would submit the report to the Chief Minister, Kumar said it would happen after the compilation of all the reports.
The process, he said, would take four or five days. The schools have been shut since the COVID-19-induced lockdown in March.
The Education Department managed to conduct the 10th annual examination in June despite the epidemic. However, its attempt to re-open schools was scuttled by the opposition parties and the parents concerned over the safety of their children in view of COVID-19.
Regarding the transfer of teachers, Mr Kumar said it has been put on hold due to the model code of conduct in the wake of the Assembly bypolls.
Once the curbs as part of the election code of conduct are lifted, the transfer process would start and the date would be announced, the Minister said.
Besides primary and high school teachers, the transfer of lecturers in the pre-university colleges was pending, Kumar added.
Courtesy: PTI
