The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has agreed to reopen schools and colleges in the city from 4th January, 2021.   Physical classes in classrooms can only be held in the first step of the reopening of schools for students of classes 9 to 12.     For the healthy reopening of schools and colleges in the region, the PMC has also put several Covid-19 safety guidelines in place. Since March, the educational institutions in the town have been shut down and are reopening after 10 months.    As per the guidelines set by PMC, all teachers and school staff will have to undergo mandatory RT-PCR tests and will have to show their reports to the institute authorities before entering the schools or college premises today.

Starting from 4th January, certain other safety steps, such as the use of face masks at all hours, the carrying of sanitiser bottles, and the maintenance of social distance inside the school grounds, will be made obligatory in all school and college classrooms. 

Not all schools to reopen in Pune

Prior to the reopening of campuses, PMC had directed schools and colleges to make such preparations, such as maintaining thermal checks at entry points and adjusting seating arrangements to ensure social distance in the classrooms.

  While all schools have been allowed to reopen as of today, owing to the lack of safety arrangements made by the authorities in view of the Covid-19 pandemic, there are some schools that may not reopen in Pune.   As of today, all schools in the city of Pune have been reopened, while schools in the rural areas of the district of Pune have been open for daily classes since 23 November, in compliance with the Directive of the State Government.   Bihar, Kerala, Puducherry, and Odisha are several other states that will reopen their educational institutions today. The reopening of schools and colleges in the wake of the pandemic has still not been determined by several states.