Classes 1 to 8 to reopen in TN from 1 November

The state government on Tuesday allowed classes 1 to 8 to reopen from 1 November.

The decision was made and announced following a discussion chief minister M K Stalin held with his cabinet colleagues and senior bureaucrats at the state secretariat on Tuesday evening.

An official statement from the state government on extending the lockdown till October 31, said that all schools would be permitted to conduct physical classes for students from Classes 1 to 8 in compliance with Standard Operating Procedures from November 1.

Referring to the conduct of physical classes for students from Class 9 to 12 now, the CM said, “Taking into account the opinion of medical experts, academicians and parents that abstention from schools for months has caused learning deficiency and enormous stress to students from Classes 1 to 8, schools would be permitted to conduct classes (physical) for them by adhering to SOP from November 1,” the CM said.

The state school education department has been instructed to make all necessary arrangements for the same.

Extending the ban on social, political and cultural events besides festivals, the government has also announced that ban on public access to places of worship during weekends (Friday to Sunday) would continue.

The government has also permitted district collectors to conduct weekly grievance meetings on Mondays and monthly farmers grievance meetings in compliance with SOP issued for Covid management.

Grievance meetings have been permitted to spare the inconvenience of people travelling from districts to the state headquarters to petition with the state secretariat.