Private schools remain divided on issue of reopening for junior classes

Schools in the city were divided on reopening for students of classes 3 to 5 with some parents expressing concerns over another surge in the cases of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in other parts of the country

Schools in the city were divided on reopening for students of classes 3 to 5 with some parents expressing concerns over another surge in the cases of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in other parts of the country.

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While some schools have announced that they will welcome students having put in place measures to keep them safe, others have said that they will not do so until all parents are comfortable with the decision.

Those who will start their operations said that classes will be held from 10am to 1:30pm as per the government directive. The teachers have undergone training based on CDC (Centre for Disease Control and Prevention) guidelines. All entry and exit points in schools have been rearranged to a one-way flow of traffic.

Schools will have to follow all Covid-19 related guidelines and standard operating procedures (SOPs) before starting the operations, said the education department’s official.

Students of classes 3 to 5 will be returning to classrooms after a gap of almost a year. In-person classes were suspended early last year to check the spread of Covid-19. Schools for classes 6 to 12 have already opened in the state over the past few months.

Kunal Bhadoo, director of Kunskapsskolan Schools, said they are facilitating both online as well as in-person classes on campus at the same time, with all applicable SOPs listed out by government authorities in place. “We have been doing so for grade 6 upwards for so long. After recent Government directions, we are doing the same for grade 3 upwards,” he said.

Before coming to school, students will have to submit a consent letter from their parents. Parents who wish to continue online classes for their children can write to the school in this regard.

Another school, Lancers International School, has reopened the school for junior classes and said that they are well prepared for the students joining classes from Wednesday onwards. In-person classes have huge a huge impact on children’s education, development and well-being, said the officials. “Our staff is undergoing training based on CDC guidelines 2021. We will continue to enhance the existing range of safety measures in place – mandatory temperature checks at the entrance, wearing face masks at all times. All entry and exit points have been rearranged to a one-way flow of traffic,” said Rohit Mann, director, Lancers International School.

Physical distancing markers have been placed in the schools operational from Wednesday. Hand sanitisers have been placed strategically throughout the campuses.

Mann said being an International Baccalaureate school, these measures were easy for them to implement due to the small class size ratio. “As of now, students from grades 6-12 are attending school. About 30% of students are already attending school till 1.30pm. This number has been growing ever since we started about two weeks ago,” he said.

Schools said that parental consent is required before they allow any student to attend in-person classes. Those parents who do not want their children to attend in-person classes can continue with the online mode.

Neeti Kaushik, director/principal, Mount Olympus School, said that the school walls missed the children, as children missed their school. “The overwhelming response from both the parents and children in rejoining the school is indeed appreciated. “We have already commenced operations for classes 6 to 11, following the safety protocols of social distancing, use of mask, staggered sitting arrangement, hand hygiene, etc. To make the transition convenient for our students and parents we are ready to welcome students of 3 to 5 to school for doubt- clearing sessions or extra classes for better understanding as their annual assessment starts from first week of March 2021,” she said.

Kaushik further added that formal resumption of classes will commence as per the government instructions from April 2021 with the new academic session.

Alka Singh, principal of Blue Bells Model School in Sector 4, said that they are calling students from grades 9 to 12 to clear their doubts before the exams. “We have asked the parents to give consent for students of class 6 to 8 for the coming sessions in April. For grade 3 to 5, we would not be calling the students due to increasing Covid-19 cases. We want to go in a staggered manner and we cannot compromise on the safety of students. We have started the first phase of calling students and the second phase will begin in April. Looking at the condition, we will call students of grade 3 to 5,” she said.

Parents too seemed wary of in-person classes. Manmeet Kumar, mother of class 5 student of Suncity School in Sector 54, said that she is not keen in sending her ward to school given the Covid-19 situation. “The number of cases are increasing every day and the children’s safety is at risk,” she said.

Ritu Gupta, mother of class 5 of Heritage School, said that she would like to wait till the vaccination drive is completed across the city, before sending her child to school. “With exams approaching, the health of children is extremely important and we would like to wait and watch before making a decision on sending young children to school,” she said.

Nishant Kapoor, father of a class 5 student of Suncity school, said he is hesitant to send his son for regular classes, “Children at this age are too young to be taking proper precautions. We are doubtful that we would be sending our child to regular school till the condition improves,” he said.