The COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage, but office and public places have begun to reopen after months of closure under the various “unlock guidelines” released by the Central government. On October 5, the Ministry of Education issued detailed guidelines for the gradual reopening of schools from October 15 but stated that no student would be forced to attend against their parent’s consent. We take a look at how the pandemic has affected education, how feasible it is for schools to comply with all the safety guidelines, what they can do to ensure that students catch up with their education, and what the potential for digital education is in the country. Host: Zubeda Hamid Guest: Rukmini Banerji, Chief Executive Officer of Pratham Education Foundation. Find the In Focus podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Stitcher. Search for In Focus by The Hindu. Write to us with comments and feedback at socmed4@thehindu.co.in