Chennai: Chief Minister M K Stalin is likely to take a call on 30 September on reopening schools for students from classes 1 to 9.
According to sources, he will take a decision in this regard after going through a detailed report to be filed by the School Education department.
‘Discussions were held with officials from all districts, and they shared different expectations with us, which we have made note of. Our detailed report will be submitted to the Chief Minister, after which a decision will be taken on the reopening of schools for other classes,’ said Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi.
He said that they had asked the officials about reopening schools initially only for classes 6 to 8 and as well as whether it would be feasible to reopen schools for classes 1 to 8 at the same time.
The School Education Minister said that the department has been closely monitoring the developments since the reopening of school classes for students of 9 to 12 on 1 September.
He also said that more than 800 medical professionals from the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) are involved in the surveillance to ensure the safety of both students and teachers.
Mahesh said that based on random checks carried out in schools, 83 students from across the State had tested positive for COVID-19 since schools reopened for senior classes.
He added: ‘There are no clusters. We are constantly reiterating that parents need not to be worried and that it is not compulsory for students to attend classes. We will continue classes through alternate modes including Kalvi TV.’
The Chief Minister is likely to give consent to reopen schools for middle classes as the State has been frenetically inoculating its population and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has also announced that threat to children is not very high.