Union Minister for Human Resources and Development Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishak’ said schools in the country may possibly reopen after 15 August if the situation is favourable.

Speaking to BBC Hindi, he said, “If the situation is conducive and the Home Ministry permits then we can open schools in August. The schools are likely to be reopened after 15 August.”

Educational institutions across the country have been closed from mid-March when the central government announced a classroom-shutdown, which was then followed by nationwide lockdown on 24 March.

While as part of country’s exit plan from the lockdown, malls, religious places, hotels, and restaurants have opened from today (8 June), schools and colleges remain shut.

The government, at the time of announcing ‘Unlock 1.0’ had said the decision over schools and colleges would only be taken after proper consultation with states.

Even though the country enters the first phase of the unlock, India’s total coronavirus case count crossed the 2.5 lakh mark on Monday morning with its highest single-day spike with 9,983 new cases in last 24 hours, Union Ministry for Health and Welfare said.

At least 206 people also lost their lives to COVID-19 in India in last 24 hours.

The total tally of confirmed cases on Monday morning stood at 2,56,611 with 1,25,381 active cases, while 1,24,094 people have so far been cured of the disease and discharged.

India’s death toll also went past 7,000 mark, with total casualty figure standing at 7,135, according to the Union Ministry.