State-run and aided schools asked to repair buildings

The West Bengal school education department has sent a notification to all state-run and state-aided secondary and higher secondary schools to repair their buildings fuelling speculation that the West Bengal government is mulling the possibility of resuming classes in higher levels in a phased manner after Durga Puja vacation.

The notification said a consolidated amount has been allocated for 6,468 secondary and higher secondary schools located in different districts of the state towards repair and maintenance of their buildings and compounds and said the schools concerned will have to send the details of their audited expenses under different heads to the district authorities, officials said.

The notification dated October 4 asked the schools to start the process with immediate effect, they said. Education minister Bratya Basu had said in September that the government will take a call on the issue of resuming classes in secondary and higher secondary schools after the Durga puja vacation keeping in mind the COVID-19 situation at that time.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will take the final decision after considering all aspects as recommended by experts, he had said.

Banerjee had said about a month ago that the government will explore possibilities of opening schools and colleges with all COVID-19 protocols in place after Durga Puja vacation considering the prevailing situation at that time. ''Our infrastructure will be ready whenever the government issues any notification,'' the head master of Jadavpur Vidyapith, Parimal Bhattacharya said.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)