Bhubaneswar, Feb 28 (IANS): After a gap of nearly two years, schools for classes 1 to 7 reopened in Odisha on Monday amid strict adherence to Covid-19 protocols.

Though the government had announced to reopen the school for the class I to VII students from February 14, it was delayed for Panchayat election in the state. The schools and colleges for other higher class students have already reopened from February 7.

The schools reopened at 10 a.m. In some schools, the students were welcomed with flowers and tika to give a festive feeling to children. In a school of Mohana block in Gajapati district, the students were welcomed by beating of drums.

"We have made special arrangements to welcome the students. Besides greeting them at the main gate, arrangements were made to welcome them at each classroom, said a teacher of government high school, Unit-IX, Bhubaneswar.

Students were seen wearing masks while entering the schools. "I am excited and feeling very happy as our school reopened today and will meet my teachers and friends," said Swapnashree Satpathy, a class 3 student of a primary school in Cuttack city.

Prior to reopening of the schools, the classrooms and premises were properly sanitised and seating arrangements made in accordance with the social distance norm, officials said. A parent-teacher meeting was also conducted on Sunday.

The School and Mass Education department of Odisha has asked the schools to conduct rapport-building exercises for one week to ensure the students do not face any stress in their school.

The students will be engaged in exercise like clay modeling or any craft work with locally available raw materials.

Sessions on word puzzle games, asking the students about fruit name, animal name etc. (both Odia & English), storytelling, painting, etc. will be conducted in the schools, the officials said.