No decision yet on reopening schools in Karnataka; student safety our priority, says education minister

The Karnataka government has refuted claims that schools are reopening on 1 September. It has clarified that what was said during the HRD ministry meeting on 15 July was an opinion and not the final decision. Minister for Primary and Secondary Education S Suresh Kumar on Sunday said that schools would be reopened only after making the atmosphere safe for students, reported  The New Indian Express. As per the report, during the video conference with Central officials on 15 July, representative of the state government and Union territories expressed views on reopening schools. Karnataka was among those states and Union territories in India which had given an estimated date of reopening to the ministry of Human resources and Development (MHRD). Kerala had proposed to open schools after 31 August, while Andhra Pradesh gave a tentative date of 5 September. Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Gujarat and Maharashtra, however, remained undecided. However, Kumar, on Sunday, said, “The governments priority on education during the COVID-19 situation is not the same as usual. Before we reopen schools, we need to ensure the atmosphere is conducive for students. So far, we haven’t decided on reopening schools. Students and their parents need not panic,” reported Times of India. The report further quoted an education department official stating that Karnataka has submitted to MHRD that it will be able to take a decision on the opening of schools only after 1 September, depending on the situation in the state. A team of experts from Information Technology and Public Health sectors from India, the UK, US, Brazil and Colombia, who used predictive analysis to understand COVID-19 case data have stated that Karnataka will see 5.06 lakh cases and register 8,987 deaths contributing to close to 20 percent of the total confirmed cases in India, reported  Bangalore Mirror. Meanwhile, in view of the rise in coronavirus cases in the state, the lockdown imposed on Karnataka’s Kalaburagi district has been extended till the midnight of 27 July, reported LiveMint. As of Sunday there are 2,743 positive COVID-19 cases in the district, according to the state health department. The state had reported over sixty thousand cases of COVID-19 and has recorded a total of 1,331 deaths from the virus, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, India.