Andhra Pradesh rules out closure of schools due to Covid

Amaravati, Jan 17:  Even as the daily Covid tally continues to remain high, Andhra Pradesh Education Minister Adimoolapu Suresh insisted on Monday that schools will continue in offline or physical mode.

On Monday, schools resumed classes after a week's Sankranti holidays, but attendance was sparse as parents are worried about sending their children to school given the current Covid situation.

Speaking to media after a meeting of the education department, Suresh said that the decision to continue classes in offline mode has been taken in the best interests of the students.

"Already 150 days of school have been completed in this academic year, and we intend to continue the remaining session in offline mode. Due to the Covid pandemic, we followed an 'all pass' approach in the last years but we understand the problems that the students will face in future if this continues," he said.

Stating that online classes have certain limitations, the minister said that parents of students need not worry about their safety as the teachers are fully vaccinated and 90 per cent of the students aged 15 years and above have also been given the first dose.

Stating that there is no connection between Covid spread and conducting classes in schools, the minister said that the government will take appropriate measures if the situation warrants them.

Following the resurgence of Covid cases, other southern states like Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Telangana, and Karnataka have put offline classes on hold.