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The Assam government will reopen schools and other educational institutions of the state from Friday.

The lower primary section from class I to V will reopen in a staggered manner for the first time after the COVID-induced lockdown.

Attendance in the LP schools is not mandatory and will be based purely on the consent of the guardians.

Massive safety measures have been drawn up for the reopening of schools, including thorough sanitization of classrooms and proper monitoring of COVID safety adherence by the district administrations apart from heads of the institutions.

In respect of classes I, II and III, formal classes will be conducted every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

For classes IV and V, formal classes will be conducted every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Classes of I to V will begin at 9 am and end at 1.45 pm, with a lunch break from 12.15 pm to 12.45 pm.

Students below the age of five years cannot attend school.

The educational institutions, closed since March, are being opened in a phased manner from September-end.

The Assam government extended the academic year till March 31, 2021 to recover the loss in academic days and also to bring the session at par with the all-India level.

However, the online mode of education will continue for students who prefer to attend online classes rather than physically attending school. This SOP is also applicable for private educational institutions as well as coaching institutes.

Teaching and non-teaching staff, including cook and helpers, will have to undergo a COVID test after a gap of every 30 days or in case of symptoms.

Upper primary, secondary and senior secondary sections in institutions – both government and private – will function in the normal manner from January 1 and the respective head of institution will be responsible for ensuring the COVID protocols.

The colleges, engineering colleges, polytechnics, universities, etc, will function normally as per their academic calendar and guidelines issued by the UGC and AICTE.