Government is “not in a hurry” to reopen schools
BENGALURU:
After reports that over 23 children in Belagavi and four in Kalaburagi districts had tested positive for COVID-19 after attending Vidyagama, a continuous learning programme for children of government schools, Minister for Primary and Secondary Education S Suresh Kumar said that the children who tested positive were ‘not infected because of attending Vidyagama’ and that the initiative was ‘safe’.
It was reported that over 23 children from Timmapur village in Belagavi district and four students from Mashala village in Kalaburagi district had tested positive after attending a Vidyagama programme held on a temple premises and a school campus, respectively.
In a message the minister said, “In Timmapur village, many villagers, including 23 children, have tested positive. The Deputy Director has clarified that there is no basis for the argument that the children got infected because of Vidyagama.”
The Deputy Director of Public Instruction, Belagavi, said that the students were asymptomatic and that the headmaster and teachers had tested negative.
Reacting to media reports on cases in Kalaburagi district, Mr Kumar said that on September 22, students from Mashala village were tested on a random sampling basis out of which four tested positive.
“However, even there the Deputy Director has said that the students did not contract the virus on the school campus where Vidyagama was conducted as a minimum number of students participate in the programme with necessary precautions,” he added.
Kumar said that it was unfortunate that a good initiative like Vidyagama was being portrayed in poor light.
Even Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said that the government would take a call on reopening schools after discussing the issue with all party leaders, officials, experts, and other stakeholders. He appealed to parents and students not to get carried away to rumours.
Suresh Kumar reiterated that the government is “not in a hurry” to reopen schools. (Agency)
