'In the first place, the schools should discourage the excursions of the students to the affected countries,' the ministry said.

'In case, students have already proceeded to affected countries on unavoidable tours, then on their return, if some students show flu like symptoms of fever, sore-throat, cough, bodyache, running nose, difficulty in breathing, they should be advised to abstain from attending school and be allowed to stay at home for a period of 7 to 10 days,' the ministry said.

While allowing students to stay home, authorities must not insist on production of medical certificates by the student or staff.

'In case of students staying in hostels, the educational institutions would not only monitor the health status of the students, but also that of care providers.'

Several school across the country mainly in Delhi and Pune were closed entirely or partially after some of their students tested positive for the flu.

More than 50 children have been detected with the swine flu in Pune so far.

On Wednesday, Delhi reported five new cases followed by Kochi (2) and one each in Kozhikode, Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Roorkee and Gurgaon.