Bengaluru, Oct 25: Schools in Karnataka re-opened for students of classes 1 to 5 from Monday, strictly adhering to COVID-19 related precautions and guidelines.

However, several private schools in the city and in different places across the state, have decided to reopen schools for these students only after Deepavali, official sources said.

Several schools had made special arrangements by decorating premises and classrooms to welcome students.

"I'm happy to come back to school. I had missed meeting friends, as I could rarely come out of home and there was no school. All these days I used to see teachers teaching on mobile or laptop, now I can see directly," a student of class 4 said with joy.

A teacher said the schools has made all the necessary arrangements by following the SOPs issued by the government, and felt happy welcoming children back.

With COVID-19 cases declining, Karnataka government in consultation with COVID-19 Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) on October 18 had decided to permit re-opening of schools for students of classes 1 to 5 from October 25, by strictly adhering to COVID-19 appropriate behaviour and SOPs issued by the Department of Primary and Secondary Education.

Parental consent letter for physical classes is mandatory.

The government has laid down certain rules such as screening for COVID-19 symptoms on entry, 50 per cent of the capacity in a classroom, provision of hand sanitizers, physical distancing of a minimum of one meter as practically feasible, no crowding, particularly at school entry and exit, and disinfecting classrooms and restrooms daily using 1 percent sodium hypochlorite solution.

Only teachers and staff who have been vaccinated with two doses of COVID-19 vaccines would be allowed in classes 1 to 5, it had said, there shall be additional use of face shield by teachers who are over 50 years of age.

Primary and Secondary Education Minister B C Nagesh recently said classes will be held for half a day during the first week and had asked parents to send children to school without any fear.

The government had reopened schools for students of classes 6 to 8 from September 6 and for students of classes 9 to 12 from August 23.

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New Delhi: The Indian men's team beat Nepal 54-36 in the final to win the inaugural Kho Kho World Cup title here on Sunday.

The Indian men's team title came after the women's side were also crowned the champions after defeating Nepal in the final.

The Men in Blue dominated the final against Nepal with captain Pratik Waikar and tournament standout Ramji Kashyap leading from the front.

Attacking first, an exceptional sky dive by Ramji Kashyap got Nepal's Suraj Pujara. Suyash Gargate then touched Bharat Sahu to give India a great start with 10 points in just four minutes.

Sky dives were the name of the game for the Men in Blue, and this ensured a bright start for the side in Turn 1, preventing the Dream Run for their opponents. At the end of the turn, the scoreline was 26-0 in favour of the Indians.

In Turn 2, Nepal were not able to match India's levels but did prevent the home side from going on a single Dream Run.

Aditya Ganpule and skipper Pratik Waikar carried the team through this turn, and despite regular touches from the likes of Janak Chand and Suraj Pujara, India carried a 26-18 lead into the second half of the clash.

India were in their stride in Turn 3, displaying unwavering confidence throughout. Captain Pratik Waikar shone on the mat with multiple sky dives, and with the support of Ramji Kashyap, another star of the tournament.

Aditya Ganpule was also at his finest, and the home team's collective effort took the score to 54-18 entering the final turn of the match -- and the tournament.

Nepal fought hard in Turn 4 in their bid to come back against India. But the defenders, once again led by Pratik Waikar and Sachin Bhargo proved too strong. Mehul and Suman Barman were equally impressive.

India showcased their dominance throughout the tournament, beginning with convincing victories over Brazil, Peru and Bhutan in the group stages. Their momentum continued through the knockout rounds, where they outclassed Bangladesh in the quarterfinals before overcoming a strong South African side in the semifinals.