Punjab schools closed, govt declares preparatory leave for all classes

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 12

Amid the surge in the number of Covid-19 cases, the Department of School Education has declared preparatory leaves for the students of all classes.

According to a press release issued here on Friday, teachers will have to attend school to assist students who want guidance in person. Education Minister (School) Vijay Inder Singla said the final examinations would be conducted offline while adhering to the Covid guidelines.

The development comes in light of schools witnessing a surge in the number of Covid cases in the recent past. On Thursday, 25 students and two teachers of Government Senior Secondary School (Boys), Amloh, in Fatehgarh Sahib were found positive. As many as 11 students at Kathera village near Nangal in Ropar were found infected on Wednesday.

21 pupils, 5 teachers infected in Ludhiana

As many as 21 students and five teachers were among 163 persons who tested positive for Covid in Ludhiana district in the past 24 hours

Six more persons lost their battle to the virus, taking the death toll to 1,572. The number of active cases has crossed the 1,000-mark to reach 1,025

District Magistrate Varinder Kumar Sharma on Thursday ordered the imposition of night curfew in Ludhiana from Friday

On Tuesday, three students and five teachers were found Covid-positive at Lodhipur village near Anandpur Sahib in Ropar. More than 50 students have contracted infection in the district in the past fortnight.

Singla has directed the school managements to make all efforts to avoid crowding on their premises. Specific SCERT guidelines have also been issued.

The Punjab School Education Board has already released the schedule for the board examinations. The examinations of class V will start from March 16; classes VIII and XII (March 22) and matriculation exams will start from April 9. The examinations of non-board classes — VI, VII, IX and XI — will start from March 15 and for classes I to IV, the examinations will commence from March 17.

Meanwhile, at the Subdivisional Civil Hospital in Abohar, Sajjan Kumar Jakhar, who is aged above 80 years, and served as a Punjab minister twice, got the first vaccine shot. He is the eldest son of ex-Lok Sabha Speaker Bal Ram Jakhar.

Join Whatsapp Channel of The Tribune for latest updates.