As the cases of COVID-19 seem to be plateauing in Maharashtra, the state government today said that schools across the state will be allowed to reopen from 24th January. Maharashtra's School Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad said that offline resumption of classes can begin for students from classes one to twelfth and also for pre-primary students, subject to the permission by concerned district authorities.<br />'' <br />''<span style="color: #222222;">AIR correspondent reports, in a media interaction today, the School Education Minister said that the decision to reopen schools has been taken following deliberations with the pediatric task force, parents, teachers, district collectors and education experts. Mrs. Varsha Gaikwad said that consent of parents will be a must to attend physical classes. Stating that health and safety of students continues to remain top priority, Mrs. Gaikwad said the decision to restart schools has been left entirely to the district administration. She added that local authorities can decide to begin offline classes, considering the ground situation and willingness of parents. While detailed orders are yet to be published, the government has said that vaccination of students needs to be ramped up to ensure safe resumption of schools. Meanwhile, a decision to reopen colleges and universities is also likely in the next few days</span>