Karnataka minister for Primary and Secondary Education Suresh Kumar on Friday said that schools and pre-university colleges in Karnataka will open from September 21 but will not resume regular classes. The minister said that students in higher classes could go to school to clear the doubts related to their studies. He said the government was awaiting the Centre's approval for resuming regular classes.
"From September 21, teachers of Class 9, Class 10, Class 11 and Class 12, will be present in the school to clear the doubts of the students related to their studies. It will not be like regular classes," Suresh Kumar said.
The minister spoke to the media while he was in Mysuru along with the District In-Charge Minister ST Somashekar to inaugurate the Mysuru Central Library.
"Under any circumstances, regular classes will not start. We are waiting for the green signal from the Centre to resume regular classes," he added. However, Suresh Kumar said that students can go to school only with parental consent.
Suresh Kumar said that parents had voiced concerns over reopening schools while students were eager to return to regular classes. “It is understandable that parents are concerned about their children. They say that online classes are comfortable. Students, however, seem to be eager to return to school. We have to consider all aspects here before reopening. We are thinking about making it mandatory to obtain consent letters from parents once schools reopen after Centre’s guidelines are issued,” he added.
Speaking about the challenges before the department this year, Kumar said every year 10 lakh students used to enroll by June, which did not happen this year.
Hence, a target has been fixed to complete the enrolment procedure by September end.
The minister said the government has passed an order that the private educational institutions can collect fees for one term. He also said that this order was passed as many parents are unable to pay the entire year’s fees in one go. He further stated that the schools cannot hike fees for the 2020-21 academic year.
The admission process for students between classes 1 and 12 must be completed before September 30, he said.
Action will be taken by the officials concerned if complaints come against institutions for violating the norms.
(With inputs from PTI)