Thiruvananthapuram: Schools and colleges in Kerala resumed in-person classes on Monday.
While classes for grades 10 and Plus Two began on Monday, classes for grades 1-9 will resume on February 14.
College classes also resumed on February 7.
The decision to resume in-person classes was taken during a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan last week.
The State has also urged schools and colleges to make online classes available for those who are unable to attend in-person classes.
Classes that are currently held till noon will be extended to the evening.
Though there is no significant dip in the number of daily COVID cases for the past weeks, the government was forced to take this step so as to ensure that portions are complete, especially for Class 10 and Plus Two.
There were widespread complaints from teachers and parents alike that there's still a lot of syllabus portions to be completed.
"The final exams are coming up and we have to finish the portions. Also, schools have to be given time to prepare for the model exams," General Education Minister V Sivankutty had said on Saturday.
With students now eligible to get their COVID vaccinations and the latest variant proving to be less lethal than its predecessors, the government is hoping this decision would prove useful to the students.
The minister also said the authorities concerned in Kollam, which is the only district classified as 'C category' in the state now, have been instructed to take extra care when the classes resume.
Districts under the C category have the most restrictions in place due to the prevailing COVID-19 situation.
The government had also allowed ceremonies in places of worship to continue, but with a cap of 20 guests.
However, these guidelines are subject to change in various places, depending on the coronavirus situation there.
The new categorisation of districts based on the number of COVID cases in the State are as follows:
* Kollam district is the only one in the C category.
* Malappuram and Kozhikode districts are in category A.
* Kasaragod does not fall into any category.
* The remaining districts are in category B.