To reopen schools or not? States in dilemma

To reopen schools or not? States in dilemma

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

09.11.2020

Nearly half the academic year gone, the trade-off between access to education and safety during a pandemic has not been an easy one to negotiate across India. While some states have opened schools with an abundance of caution, the surge in cases right after despite the safety measures has made other states put their plans on hold.

Tamil Nadu, which had initially announced schools and colleges would resume classes from November 16, will seek the opinion of parents on Monday. Telangana is also holding consultations while Meghalaya will take a call later this month. Sikkim had earlier announced it would resume classes but has now deferred its plans.

The cautionary tale has been that of Andhra Pradesh, where 879 teachers and 575 students have tested positive for Covid-19 so far. While the teachers had all tested positive before school reopened on November 2, the students tested after. Schools have not been shut. But because of the spike in Andhra, neighbouring Odisha has shelved its plan to reopen schools gradually from November 16.

Covid forces Karnataka to suspend its outreach programme

For most states that did decide to reopen earlier, shutting down again is not on the cards. In Uttarakhand, for instance, 80 teachers from 23 schools in Pauri Garhwal district tested positive. After shutting the schools for five days so they can be sanitised, they will open again. In Haryana, three students at a government school in Narwana tested positive after schools reopened on November 2. After a few days’ gap, other students will be back on Monday. In Punjab, where four teachers in Fazilka district tested positive after going back to classrooms on October 19, schools will reopen but with “all precautions in place,” district education officer Sukhveer Singh Bal said.

It is only Himachal Pradesh, where 40 teachers have tested positive, and Mizoram, where eight students were infected, that schools with Covid cases have been shut again indefinitely. But can students afford closure? The online shift has made access a problem in rural and remote areas for children of migrant workers and those from underprivileged families. While states like Bihar and Himachal tried to get books across to students, the lack of guidance from teachers meant the gap could not be closed, especially for first-generation learners. “We are worried about our children. While they have shut things down for safety, how will our children study?” asked Khem Chand, whose daughter studies at Thunang School in Mandi.

With this in mind, Karnataka had launched an outreach programme, Vidyagama, for 47 lakh government school students. Teachers would meet children in small groups in places like parks, playgrounds or temples. By October 10, the government had to suspend the programme when Covid hit those attending — 34 children in Belagavi and Kalaburagi tested positive, a government school teacher from Moodabidiri died and another from south Karnataka got infected. The state has no plan to reopen schools anytime soon.

Full report on www,toiin