No plan to shut Yavatmal schools: Dist edu officer

Yavatmal: District Education Officer Vikas Chavne on Wednesday categorically denied rumours that school authorities are asking for parents’ consent to declare holidays in schools in view of the threat from coronavirus.
“I have not issued any circular to educational institutions under me so far to declare holidays in the district,” Chavne said, adding he has not received any such instructions from the state government.
However, he confirmed having postponed the training programme for 300 selected Teacher Brigade, set up by district collector M Devendra Singh to improve the standard of ZP run schools, scheduled on Thursday (March 12) in the local Bachat Bhavan. “Besides, the education department has cancelled its Shikshan Utsav and Skill Development programmes scheduled this month,” Chavne said.
No such notification has been received from the CBSE board too, said principal of Yavatmal Public School (YPS) Jacob Das, adding he hasn’t sent any SMS to parents in this connection.
Jawaharlal Darda English Medium High School and Junior College principal Mini Thomas John too said they haven’t issued any message to parents. Principals of School of Scholars (SoS) and St Aloysius English Medium Schools too refuted the rumours.
Meanwhile, medical student Snehal Chatki, who had returned from Wuhan in China, is also keeping fine in her village in Mategaon tehsil of Yavatmal district.
Yavatmal GMC dean Dr Milind Kamble has urged people not to panic as there is no case of coronavirus reported so far in the district.