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Government schools in Chandigarh begin preparations to partially reopen from September 21 onwards
The MHA guidelines state that all states/Union Territories have been permitted to call 50% of teaching and non-teaching staff for online teaching, tele-counselling and related work
After receiving fresh guidelines from the Union ministry of home affairs (MHA), city schools are set to partially open from September 21 onwards for the first time since mid-March, and have already begun preparations to ensure that order can be maintained come Monday.
The MHA guidelines state that all states/Union Territories have been permitted to call 50% of teaching and non-teaching staff for online teaching, tele-counselling and related work from September 21. The students of Classes 9 to 12 may be permitted to visit the schools on a voluntary basis for taking guidance from teachers, subject to a written consent from parents/guardians.
Principal of St John’s High School, Sector 26, Kavita C Das said, “Along with facemasks, we have made face shields to cover the eyes mandatory as well.”
Around 40% of the students had their parents’ consent for coming to school from Monday: “Along with sanitising the students and checking their temperatures, we will also check their blood oxygen levels using oximeters to screen for asymptomaticity. An isolation room will also be allotted within the school in case any student or faculty member feels unwell,” added Das.
Admn yet to release detailed SOP
The local administration is yet to release a detailed standard operating procedure (SOP) for schools to follow even though the reopening is right around the corner. President of the Independent School Association and chairman of Vivek High School, Sector 38B, HS Mamik said, “We have given the administration our suggestions, but we are still waiting for the official directions.”
Mamik added the administration will need to ensure their directions are applied to all schools. “In some schools, there may be only 20-30 students in a class while the number may go up to 50 in others. Instead of saying only 50% of students will be allowed in a class, a numerical limit should be set to ensure the rules can be uniformly followed,” he said.
They will wait for parents’ consent before resuming school bus service, he added.
Meanwhile, it is still not clear what the timings for schools will be on Monday. Speaking about this, director of Strawberry Fields High School, Sector 26, Atul Khanna said, “We plan to only allow students in the afternoon as classes are already going on in the mornings. We don’t want students not coming to school to suffer any disadvantage. In the afternoon, we will have two batches of students for about an hour each with half an hour of gap in between for sanitising the classes.”
Khanna added that different days will be kept for different subjects like mathematics on Mondays and Hindi on Tuesdays, and students will have to seek an appointment before they are allowed to visit and ask the teachers their doubts. He added that around 25% students had volunteered to follow this norm.
UT Education department holds meeting over preparations
1. The UT education department held a meeting regarding the preparations on Thursday under deputy director school education Alka Mehta in which all principals and heads of all government schools participated.
2. The schools have been instructed to provide for thermal screening along with preventing overcrowding and maintaining social distancing. Students and teachers residing in micro-containment zones will not be allowed to visit the schools.
3. Mehta who is also acting as district education officer (DEO) said, “Canteens will remain closed and students will come in two batches of two hours each with a two-hour gap in between. Although drinking water facilities will be functional in the school, students will be asked to get their own drinking bottles to avoid touching the taps too much.”
4. Director school education (DSE) Rubinderjit Singh Brar added that the department will submit a detailed proposal to the competent authority soon and a decision regarding the date and plan of reopening schools will be taken by them.
5. The government schools had been asked to collect consent from parents through Google forms and WhatsApp/text messages by September 15. Around 25,000 students from 90 government schools (around 50% of the total) have submitted the consent forms. The department will prepare a slot-based timetable for students before September 21.
