The COVID-19 Crisis Management Committee (CCMC) on Sunday decided to allow resumption of educational institutions, gyms, and cinema halls, which have remained shut for more than nine months now due to the pandemic.

The authority to close these institutions again, if and when necessary, has been allotted to the District COVID-19 Management Committee.

These institutions will be required to adhere to COVID-19 health safety protocols when they resume their services.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology has submitted a proposal to the Council of Ministers to conduct this year’s Secondary Education Examination (SEE) in May/June. The cabinet has yet to take a decision on the matter.

Following the Ministry’s proposal, the National Examination Board has sought details of students currently studying in Grade X across the country.

As many as 482,707 candidates from across the country had filled up the forms for SEE in the last academic year. This year, however, it is estimated that thousands of students studying in cities have returned to their villages due to COVID-19 and subsequent lockdown.

Therefore, the Ministry has forwarded a policy that allows students in rural areas to take the exams from the school of their choice.

The Ministry has also proposed to merge two months of the next academic session with the current session. If done so, the proposal states that next year’s academic session will be only for 10 months.