They were all briefly reopened to close again when the second wave began in March. Many schools have started sanitizing campuses and have made routines in such a way that classes can be divided into two groups, with each group visiting the campus every other day.
We need to find the right balance between being mindful of the spread of the virus and being aware of the harm that school and college students are doing due to frequent online classes. It’s difficult; And decision-makers are wary because their response to COVID-19 and the disease has often become unnecessarily controversial. A “hybrid” approach, in conjunction with online classes and some on-campus sessions, may be the right way forward.
Schools are upbeat about the fact that now the Center has also prepared a general re-opening guideline and said that they are waiting for a tentative re-opening date along with the state SOPs. However, parents are more cautious as children have not been vaccinated yet.
The mood is also reflected in the feedback being sent by the parents to the schools. There are many schools which have sent e-forms to the parents to seek their opinion regarding the reopening and in most of the schools the scale is tilted towards negative ones. For example, in The Heritage, 50% of parents have said not to send their children if schools reopen after puja. In survey forms sent from Laxmipat Singhania Academy at least thrice since the second wave, most parents have shown reluctance to send their children. “We will organize NEET School On Sundays and much care has been taken to ensure the safety of the students. Once we are done with it, we will send another round of forms to the parents,” said director Meena Kak.
Most of the CBSE and CISCE affiliated schools said it is not yet clear whether the boards want to conduct the first semester of board exams to be held in November online or physically.
“Sending children to school is a long process. Not everyone has a private vehicle. Hence the dependence on public transport will continue. How safe are they?” asked management faculty Sukanya Das, who has two sons in third and ninth grade at La Martiniere for Boys.
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