Fact check: Govt has taken no decision to keep schools shut till December

New Delhi, Aug 13: A website has claimed that schools in India will not open until December 2020 owing to the coronavirus pandemic.

The website attributes the decision to the Union Government and said that schools will remain closed until December.

This information is however not right. The Centre has taken no such decision and there has been no timeline as yet. While the government is looking at the possibility of starting some classes for senior students from September end or October, no final decision has been taken in this regard, they said.

Universities and schools across the country have been closed since March 16 when the Centre announced a countrywide classroom shutdown as part of measures to contain the COVID-19 outbreak. A nationwide lockdown was announced on March 24, which came into effect the next day and threw economic activities out of gear. While the government has largely eased restrictions, schools and colleges continue to remain closed.

Last month, the Education Ministry had sent out a letter to states and Union Territories to furnish a feedback from parents of schoolgoing children as to when they would be comfortable with reopening of schools - August, September or October 2020.