Mumbai School Reopening: Almost 90% Students Show up as Physical Classes Resume

After Mumbai’s civic body Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) nod to resume physical offline classes from Wednesday, March 2, close to 80 to 90 per cent of schools and junior colleges in the city left their virtual classrooms, and moved to physical ones, reported a leading news daily.

Students who still haven’t returned to the city, however, could not join the physical classes and for them, educational institutes are continuing the online learning method. This full-fledged resumption of offline classes comes nearly two years after the imposition of lockdown during the COVID-19 outbreak in March 2020.

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Last year, in October, classes were allowed to resume in hybrid mode. However, due to the rise in Omicron infection, they were moved back to online-only mode. Schools opened once again in hybrid mode towards the end of January.

The physical classes resumed with all the necessary COVID-19 protocols and schools have been asked to ensure strict adherence to the SOPs. Students and teachers will have to wear masks all the time in the class. However, masks have been allowed to be removed only in open spaces.

While the classes had to be conducted in online mode due to the looming COVID-19 threat last year, most school and junior colleges in Mumbai will be taking physical exams. The Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE) has also shifted back to physical examination after two years.

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While several student groups raised concerns over the physical examination, the board decided to continue with it nonetheless. The Maharashtra board examination for class 12 is slated to begin from tomorrow, March 4, whereas the examination for class 10 will start from March 15. The examination will be held in two shifts, the first one beginning from 10:30 am to 2 pm. The second shift of the Maharashtra board examination will be held between 3 pm and 6:30 pm.

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