The Odisha Government has issued detailed Standard Operating Procedure (SOPs) for the schools which will reopen for class X and XII from July 26 and has shared the SOPs.
According to the official reports, the School and Mass Education Department has shared the SOPs with the directors of Secondary Education and Higher Secondary Education, CHSE chairman and president of Board of Secondary Education, asking them to ensure the same.
Only schools outside the containment zones shall be allowed to open. Further, students, teachers and employees living in containment zones will not be allowed to attend the school Students, teachers and employees shall also be advised not to visit areas falling within containment zones. Due to the dynamic nature of the situation, these decisions will be taken by the District Collector.
The District Collector will also direct the relevant schools to immediately shut down in case their zone is declared as a containment zone.
Schools may not reopen without 100% access to potable drinking water and adequate functional toilets for all students. Any school without access to the above must first make these arrangements before reopening. And Hostel facilities are not to be opened at this point in time. Detailed SOP for Hostel operations will be issued when Hostel reopening is deemed safe.
School provided transportation should also be discouraged to reduce risk. Transport facilities may run at a minimum of 50% capacity with adequate sanitization before picking up and after dropping students.
While no student should be coerced to come to school. Only those parents and students who feel the comfortable attending school should do so
For ensuring social distancing and queue management inside and at the entrance of the premises, specific marking on the floor/ground with a gap of 6 feet should be made. Inside classrooms, students should be made to sit at safe distances/alternate desks Fixed seating should be ensured. A particular seat/space should be earmarked for each student (for example: based on roll number) so that there is limited exposure to other students’ physical spaces.
There must be adequate soap (solid/liquid) and running water in all washrooms and toilets. Hand sanitisers etc. for the teachers, students, and staff must be available mandatorily in each classroom. Students should be encouraged to sanitize their hands when entering and leaving classrooms and toilets.
The school should display state helpline numbers and also numbers of local health authorities etc. to teachers/students/employees to contact in case of any 6neigency. Other posters related to the preventive measures about COVID-19 must also be displayed.
A separate isolation room has to be marked in the school and kept ready. This room may be used in case any student or staff develops Covid symptoms. The Composite School Grant under SSA may be used for the purchase of all relevant cleaning and sanitization material.
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