Bengaluru, October 9: A day after the Karnataka government held a virtual meeting to discuss reopening of schools amid the COVID-19 pandemic, former chief minister of Karnataka H D Kumaraswamy on Friday said such a step will be a "disaster", asking the state government to promote all students on the basis of their previous performance.

"The reopening of schools in this scenario will lead to a disaster. Schools should not be reopened for any reason this year if the chief minister cares about people's life. Promote all students, considering their previous outcome and performance," said Kumaraswamy. Also Read | Mysuru Dasara 2020 Celebrations: Karnataka Govt Issues Recommendations of Technical Advisory Committee, Asks Organisers to Make Celebrations Virtual For Public.

"Let schools determine the grading system for the children, based on their reading. Let the students from first to ninth standard be promoted on this basis. Let it be fully applicable to the 12th standard students under the state board as well," he further said, adding admission in schools and colleges should open from 2021. It is to to be noted that the state has already conducted Class 10 board exams earlier this year.

Kumaraswamy also said the state government is moving towards reopening the schools at a time when the COVID-19 cases are being detected in tuition centres, creating anxiety among parents.

"Four children at a tutoring school in Mashala village of Afzalpur taluka in Kalaburgi district have recently tested positive for COVID-19," he added.

On Thursday, Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa and Primary Education Minister S Suresh Kumar held a virtual meeting to discuss the reopening of schools amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)