Message from Navi Mumbai school about reopening sends parents in a frenzy

Parents and students of Shree Swami Vivekanand Shikshan Sanstha’s (SSVSS) Navi Mumbai High School and Junior College in Vashi panicked after a message saying the

Parents and students of Shree Swami Vivekanand Shikshan Sanstha’s (SSVSS) Navi Mumbai High School and Junior College in Vashi panicked after a message saying the school would reopen on Tuesday circulated on social media.

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However, the school authorities denied the message and claimed that they have asked only a handful of parents for a meeting maintaining all social distancing norms.

Sanjay Mahajan, administrator, SSVSS’s Navi Mumbai branch, said, “Our school caters to students from the lower-income group. Most of them do not have access to the internet or smartphones. Throughout the lockdown, we have not been able to conduct full-fledged online classes. As many parents were worried about their children’s future, we held a meeting to discuss the same in school. We had sent out a message that clearly said that the meeting was regarding starting online classes accessible for all. However, the message was misinterpreted and forwarded by some miscreants.”

The message that was shared to most parents in English said, “As a concern of your pupil’s education, the school authorities are likely to take brave steps towards the same. We are going to re-open our school from Tuesday onwards. For that, we need to discuss some important points. For the same reason, we are going to conduct a parents’ meeting on Monday.”

Govind More, a parent of an eight-year-old student of the Navi Mumbai High School, said, “We do not know to read English and were shocked with such a message. We approached those who understood the language to elaborate on the agenda. However, when we reached the school on Monday, the meeting was just to assure us of how teachers would help students without access to technology to cope up with academics.”

Meanwhile, the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation’s education department has warned schools to maintain social distancing norms within their premises and avoid calling parents in large numbers to the school.

“There are no guidelines to start school yet and we are keeping a strict watch on all schools within our jurisdiction to ensure lockdown norms are followed,” said a senior official from NMMC.