Bhubaneswar, Dec 28 (IANS): Physical teaching for the students of Class I to V would resume in Odisha from January 3, School and Mass Education Minister, Samir Ranjan Dash, said here on Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters, Dash said, "With the instruction of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, we are going to resume classroom teaching for students of Class I to V in about 27,000 schools from January 3, while in the other schools it will start from January 10."

The first summative assessment of Class X students would continue till January 9. So, schools having classes for I to X will resume physical teaching for the primary class students from January 10, he said.

Considering the eagerness among the students to attend classes in their schools, the government has taken this decision, Dash said.

The standard operating procedure (SOP) being followed for conducting classroom teaching for other classes will be applicable for these students as well, he said.

While online classes will continue, students can attend offline classes in consultation with their parents/ guardians. This apart, cooked mid-day meal will not be served to the students. Instead, dry ration will be provided to them as was provided earlier, sources said.

Physical classes for Class VI to XII have already resumed in the state.