The Assam government will suggest centre to open up schools and colleges in a "graded" manner, state education minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Sunday, as he made a number of announcements including making admissions in government institutions free for all.
The announcement came a day before an online meeting between the Union Human Resource Development Ministry and state education departments on the coronavirus crisis.
"We have devised a standard operating procedure whereby we will suggest to the ministry to start classes on alternate days for different classes. However, classes can start from Class 6 onwards. Opening of classes in a graded manner, social distancing will be ensured. Online classes in villages are not possible. So in a week, every standard between 6th to 12th will have at least two days of schooling," Mr Sarma said on Sunday.
Assam government on Sunday has also decided to make made admissions to government colleges, technical institutions, and schools free of cost.
Earlier, only those students whose parents had an annual income of under Rs 2 lakh availed free education benefits.
Mr Sarma also said that with immediate effect, it will be mandatory for any school, whether government or private, to teach the Assamese language as a subject between Class 1 to 10. However, in the Bengali-dominated Barak valley region, Bengali will be mandatory and in the Bodoland-region, Bodo will be mandatory.
Schools and colleges across the country were closed in March ahead of a nationwide lockdown imposed by the central government to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
