Thiruvananthapuram: Local bodies will play a major role in monitoring and keeping schools safe when the educational institutions reopen on November 1 after remaining closed for a long period due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Minister for Local Self-governments, M V Govindan, instructed all local bodies to form school-level monitoring committees to ensure the implementation of government-issued COVID-19 guidelines in all schools.
The committees will have a representative each of the local bodies. The minister also asked the local bodies to convene a meeting of school authorities to discuss the implementation of the guidelines.
Other instructions
»Ensure all teaching and non-teaching staff, school bus crew, and family members of the students in each area are totally vaccinated before school reopening. Convene meetings of school management executive committees and parent-teachers' associations. People's representatives should attend these meetings.
»Organise and schedule transportation facilities for students. Ensure the school vehicles are well maintained and insured. Arrange parents' vehicles for safe travel.
»Conduct basic health check-ups for students and school employees. Arrange alternative academic programmes for the symptomatic students.
»Ensure the daily upkeep of school entrance, compound, classrooms, washrooms, drinking water sources, kitchen, canteen, and vehicles belonging to the school.
»Convene a meeting of political parties, leaders of various organisations, people's representatives, student and teachers' organisations to discuss the preparations.