Schools to reopen today

Vijayawada: With Cyclone Montha weakening into a cyclonic storm and weather conditions gradually improving, both the Krishna and NTR district administrations decided to reopen schools as usual from Thursday, October 30, in line with the state government’s guidelines.

In separate statements issued on Wednesday, NTR district collector G Lakhsmisha and Krishna district collector DK Balaji announced that schools under all managements in their respective districts will resume normal functioning after obtaining mandatory fitness certification from the concerned authorities.

NTR district collector Dr G Lakshmisha has said that all schools under various managements in the district, except those currently serving as rehabilitation centres, will function normally from Thursday, after receiving mandatory fitness certification. The collector said that Mandal Education Officers (MEOs) and Tahsildars have been instructed to coordinate with R&B engineers to conduct fitness inspections of all school buildings. He emphasised that classes should resume only after verifying the safety of classrooms, roofs, boundary walls, electrical systems, drinking water, and sanitation facilities.

Dr Lakshmisha made it clear that staff and students would be permitted to enter school premises only after the respective institutions receive fitness clearance confirming that the infrastructure is safe for use.

The collector further stated that schools currently housing cyclone rehabilitation centres should remain closed until the relief operations are completed and conditions return to normal, as per the directions of the district administration.