Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala government's plan to resume a normal academic calendar from June could be hit by the recent resurgence of COVID-19.

With the second wave of COVID-19 likely the chances of reopening schools in June are remote though authorities may take a call after assessing the public health scenario.

Officials of the Department of Education said a decision on reopening the school would be made only by mid-May.

The State has also decided to postpone the entrance examination for engineering and pharmacy (KEAM) courses slated for June 20. The decision was made as the entrance exam (COMED-K) for admission to private professional colleges in Karnataka is scheduled to be held on the same day. The new date for KEAM will be announced later.

Kerala, with a test positivity rate of 12.53 per cent, reported 5,692 new COVID-19 cases on Monday.

Schools and colleges remained shut for the entire 2020-21 academic year, though classes had resumed for higher-secondary students early this year. Virtual classes were launched from June 1, 2020 as an alternative to class-room learning during the phased lockdowns in the wake of the outbreak of COVID-19 almost a year ago.