Covid-19: Favour reopening of campuses in a phased manner, says Bengal minister Bratya Basu

Poulami.Roy
KOLKATA: Bengal is likely to reopen educational institutions in a phased manner, education minister Bratya Basu said on Monday.
Schools (classes IX to XII), colleges and universities were closed for on-campus classes on January 3, during the beginning of the third wave, a month-and-a-half after they had reopened on November 16.
“Chief minister Mamata Banerjee is concerned about the matter.We want to reopen schools step-by-step,” Basu said, when asked about a possible time-frame. “The CM is herself in favour of reopening, but we are looking for a long-term solution so that we do not have to shut everything down again immediately after reopening. The CM will announce the decision after weighing in all these factors.”

The state, Basu added, was in favour of reopening schools, “but not at the risk of the lives of the students,” he added.
Around 27.7 lakh teenagers in the 15-18 age-group have been vaccinated in Bengal.
TOI had reported on Saturday that the education department had started planning for the reopening of educational institutions, and had even held a preliminary discussion with senior state officials at Nabanna the previous day.
The education department, sources said, is gearing up to reopen institutions within a week of getting a go-ahead. The authorities have received feedback from various quarters that board students need to get at least one month’s physical classes before the final exams start from March.