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West Bengal schools to reopen from November 16 for Classes IX to XII

The West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE) has released a notification directing all schools in the state to reopen on and from November 16 and shared academic guidelines for the same.

The notification follows a COVID-related SOP released by the state government.

Here are some points from the ‘Proposal for the opening of schools at Secondary / Higher Secondary levels from November 16’ issued to all school heads affiliated to the WBBSE and West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education (WBSHSE):

• Academic classes for IX to XII may be held for each class every day as per revised school hours from Monday to Saturday
• Students in each class should report half an hour prior to the commencement of class
• Students of Classes IX and XI should report at 9.30am and their classes will be held from 10am to 3.30 pm
• Students of Classes X and XII should report at 10.30am and their classes will be held from 11 am to 4.30 pm.
• Each class may be divided into two or more separate rooms depending on resources available (class routine will be accordingly adjusted) following social distancing and COVID-19 protocol among the students and staff of the school
• Practical classes may also be held for Classes XI and XII

“It must be mentioned here that all schools must be properly sanitised, must maintain all COVID-19 protocol during school days; i.e. wearing of mask for all students as well as the teaching ad non-teaching staff of the schools, social distancing etc and proper awareness may be created among students/guardians about norms of COVID-19 protocol,” said the notification signed by Kalyanmoy Ganguly, the president of WBBSE.

All teaching and non-teaching staff will be allowed on campus from November 1. The heads of the institutions will be issued suitable passes so that the staff may travel by special trains wherever necessary.

Additionally, hostels have been allowed to be opened where necessary, strictly maintaining COVID norms.

The West Bengal Government School Teachers’ Association has welcomed this notification on behalf of the teachers. “The association deems it appropriate to set separate time for the commencement and completion of schooling for the Classes IX and XI and X and XII as appropriate for the fight against the pandemic. However, with the students required to come in half an hour early, it seems that the students would end up wearing masks for more than six hours a day, which may be tough for the students who were away from the rigour of school life for almost two years now. Hence, we request to allow schools to hold classes for three hours every day for the first two weeks to help students get acclimatized with the new normal where they would have to live by following COVID protocol,” said Sugata Bose, general secretary of the association.