By early February, all Usthi school sites could soon see the resumption of face-to-face classes for all grades. The day care centers of the Early Childhood Development Project can resume operations this month.

In Hyderabad, classes for final year students have been back in the classroom since the beginning of February. The partner organisation in Hyderabad expects a return to face-to-face teaching for all classes and a return to full capacity in the Usthi tuition centers soon. For the children supported by Usthi with school sponsorships and tutoring, a quick return to face-to-face teaching is important, as the conditions to study well at home are often not given. To protect children from spreading infections to each other, Usthi’s partner organisation in Hyderabad distributes cloth masks to Usthi supported children and street children. Usthi contributes to the cost of the masks.

In West Bengal, at least the graduating classes were able to start the new school year in January in the classroom. At Thaddeus School, students in last year’s graduating class are also able to prepare for their exams, which have been postponed to June. The remaining classes are still in distance learning. A decision on possible further openings is to be made these days.

In Odisha, the tenth grade has been able to return to classes since January. Students who will take their final exams in May are allowed to prepare on the campus of Penthakata School. On 8th February, the care centers of the Early Childhood Development Project in the Somagiri tribal region will also be able to resume full operations. The social workers have been trained on what to do when a child is symptomatic and how to comply with measures to contain Covid-19.