Jagan firm on not closing schools for Corona

[Anta Assamey]

Despite pressures from the opposition parties and other organisations, YSR Congress party president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy has decided against closure of educational institutions in the state on account of increasing Covid-19 positive cases.

State education minister Adimulapu Suresh reiterated on Monday that there is no question of extending holidays for the schools and colleges due to Covid-19.

“There is absolutely no connection with the schools and spread of Coronavirus. We are taking all precautions to see that students are not affected by the pandemic,” he said.

The minister said the educational institutions were being run in accordance with the prevailing situation in Andhra Pradesh.

“On the first day of the reopening of schools, there was an attendance of 61 per cent,” he pointed out.

He reminded that the government could not conduct examinations for the last two years for the students and this year, the government won’t allow such a situation to happen.

“We have already conducted classes for 150 days till now and we shall continue this trend for the coming months,” he said.

Suresh pointed out that 90 per cent of the high school students had been vaccinated as per the Central government guidelines.

“It is unfortunate that the opposition parties are demanding closure of schools stating that the students were not vaccinated,” he said.

He said there was no need to compare the situation in AP with other states.

“We shall take decisions according to our own conditions. Though other states could not conduct Intermediate examinations last year, we successfully conduct the same,” he said, adding that online education was no alternative to physical classes.