COVID-19: Sikkim Educational Institutions Likely to Remain Shut till End of April

Gangtok, April 7, 2020:

It appears that schools and colleges are expected to remain shut in the state of Sikkim even after the end of the 21-day lockdown that has been called by the centre to check the COVID-19 outbreak. This was hinted at earlier today by the Additional Chief Secretary and Principal Secretary of the Education department, G P Upadhyaya.

Upadhyaya shared that it seems that the state won't be able to re-open its schools immediately after the end of the lockdown period. "There is still a chance of infection, especially among students, so we had a talk among our officers and also had a meeting with concerned Minister. More or less, we are planning not to open schools and regarding the same, we will observe the situation in the coming days and we will take the decision accordingly", he said adding that schools will probably be shut for the remainder of the month.

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Upadhyaya also shared that looking at the present scenario, the administration has taken initiative for alternative modes of education. "We have even started online education through the Sikkim Edu Tech app and our teachers are using digital platforms to teach the students", he added.

"At present a total of 145 schools are registered with us for online classes but we will try to bring more schools under online classes through the mobile application", he further informed.

G P Upadhyaya, talking on the lines of the students from the State who are stranded elsewhere, said, "We will abide by Government instructions completely; if they are allowed to come back. If they are allowed to come back, what are the conditions? Will they be asked to stay in home quarantine for a period of 14 days?"

It is pertinent to mention here that many of the students have appealed the Government to help them so that they can return to their homestate amidst the lockdown. Videos have been posted on social media carrying appeal messages to the concerned authorities to ensure them a safe passage home.

The Government of Meghalaya, after a cabinet meeting convened yesterday to address the concerns over the COVID-19 outbreak, has decided to keep educational institutes in the state closed till April 30.

The Government had earlier ordered the schools to be shut till April 15, but now, has decided to extend the date amid an uptick in the number of cases in the NE and across India. It will again be reviewed by the Education Department amid the prevailing situation in the entire country.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a meeting held with Chief Ministers via video-conferencing on Thursday, indicated that the lockdown may be lifted in a staggered manner.

The 21-day lockdown has been in place since the intervening night of March 24-25. An official statement said Modi called for the formulation of a common exit strategy to ensure a staggered re-emergence of the population once the lockdown ends.

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