Envisaging a September re-opening of schools, the Assam has issued a new set of guidelines for informal education, while also seeking suggestions
Guwahati: Amid the ongoing plans to open the schools and colleges in the month of September, the Assam government has framed a set of guidelines (SOPs) for informal education in the state and also sought views from stakeholders.
This has been reported after Assam’s education minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has publicly mulled the resumption of informal education in both government and private schools from September 1.
The new guidelines for the reopening of schools in Assam have been issued by N. Laskar, joint secretary in the Assam higher education department. The same have been uploaded in the public domain: in the state Sarba Siksha Abhiyan website.
According to the guidelines, the classes shall not be mandatory and students shall have to inform the institutions before attending the classes.
Additionally, the students shall have to don masks to attend informal classes and maintain a physical distance of at least 8 feet while attending classes.
COVID-19 tests shall also be made compulsory for teachers, resource persons, education department staff, etc. between August 23 and August 30 to be able to attend classes. Sanitation of venues to be used for informal classes before classes start and thereafter on an interval of every 15 days has also been made compulsory as per the new guidelines.
However, ongoing online classes are likely to continue.
Students from classes 1-4 need not go to school, but their parents shall be able to collect the hard copies of their assignments while collecting ration meant for mid-day meals.
The parents can then submit the completed assignments during their next visit to the schools and the teachers will evaluate them to sue as results for tests.
For students from classes 5 through 8, four venues like community halls, libraries, open fields, courtyard of houses etc. shall be used for teaching anywhere between 90 to 120 minutes. The students will be taught in batches.
As per the guidelines, the resource persons/teachers shall teach in the style which was earlier used in ‘gurukul’ (style of imparting knowledge by teachers in an informal setup like underneath large trees). They shall be expected to use improved techniques like storytelling, project preparation, assignments, tests etc.
As for students from classes 9 to 10, there will be 4 classes of 45 minutes duration each in groups of 15 for six days of the week except on Sundays. Students can attend classes nearest to their homes even if they are not enrolled there.
Students of the final semester of graduation in colleges as well as students of classes XI and XII studying in colleges will have to follow the guidelines for classes issued for students of classes IX to XII in schools. A separate set of detailed rules will be issued after receiving feedback from public.
Final semester students in medical and engineering colleges have also been asked to follow the same set of rules for classes as those framed for classes IX to XII until further guidelines are issued.
The Assam Government is also inviting more suggestions from stakeholders. Concerned stakeholders have been asked to mail their views on or before August 20 to sopschoolopeningassam@gmail.com. Source: Sentinel Digital Desk
