Chennai: All schools in Tamilnadu will begin admissions for classes one to 11 on 17 August, while a decision is yet to be taken on the repening date. Ahead of this, the government has issued guidelines to be followed, in view of the ongoing Covid-19 situation.
All schools have been directed to give admissions even in the absence of students based on the records submitted by their parents. The government has also directed the schools to admit students even if any of the documents are not available.
An order issued by Chief Secretary K Shanmugam said, “the headmasters of high and higher secondary schools should get the students list and their contact details from neighbourhood feeder schools. Admissions to classes six and 11 should be conducted on particular dates. The dates should be communicated to the parents.”
Stating that the headmasters should put up the admission dates to on their notice boards, the order added: “If the feeder schools have more strength, then students should be split into two groups consisting of 20 students and conduct admissions in the morning and afternoon.”
While asking the teachers to visit their schools two days before the admissions and ensure the hygiene of the schools, the order said for students studying in government and government-aided schools, the free notebooks and books, uniforms should be distributed during the admissions.
It also gave permission to the Director of Matriculation Schools to conduct admissions to 25 per cent seats reserved under Right to Education act from 17 August.
Urging all to ensure that social distancing and other Covid-19 preventive measures were followed during the admission process, Minister for School Education K A Sengottaiyan recently said admission for LKG and class one in private schools would be done online.
However, reopening of schools would be considered only after the pandemic comes under total control.
Asked how 5,249 students had been declared as failed in the class 10 examinations when it was earlier announced that all of them would pass, the Minister said that those students had not even written the quarterly and half-yearly examinations in the schools.