With quarantine or Covid-19 vaccination centres on premises, over 20 municipal schools yet to restart

Three days after all schools in Mumbai restarted classes 8 to 12, about 20-25 municipal schools had still not opened until Wednesday, as they have vaccination or quarantine centres in the premises. The schools are likely to open from Monday onwards.

Three days after all schools in the city restarted classes 8 to 12, about 20-25 municipal schools had still not opened until Wednesday, as they have vaccination or quarantine centres in the premises. The schools are likely to open from Monday onwards.

There were 16 municipal schools that had quarantine centres and 35 that had Covid-19 vaccination centres in Mumbai. (PTI)

In its circular issued last Wednesday, instructing schools to start from October 4, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) asked all assistant commissioners of the 24 administrative wards in the city, to find alternate feasible premises to shift quarantine or vaccination centres that were housed in municipal schools. There were 16 municipal schools that had quarantine centres and 35 that had vaccination centres. These were to be moved to nearest municipal amenities centres, such as marriage halls. However, in some cases, officials were not able to find alternate locations, and about 20-25 schools did not start on Monday this week.

“It is more difficult to find alternate locations for vaccination centres and quarantine centres in schools located in slums, because there are no buildings as such nearby. In such cases, we have identified municipal open spaces and are constructing mandaps on them with tarpaulin and tin sheets to start vaccination centres. Now that monsoon is almost over, this is feasible,” a senior civic official said.

On Wednesday, Marathi and Hindi medium schools had a holiday due to pitrupaksha, and English and Urdu medium schools were working.

On Tuesday, attendance dropped in BMC schools in comparison to Monday. According to figures from BMC, 30,250 students attended schools on Monday, while 23,162 students attended on Tuesday. A total of 755 municipal schools have restarted and operated classes on all three days this week. Data for Wednesday was being updated till the end of the day.

A senior civic official said, “It is early to say attendance has dropped. It may be fluctuating, as many schools are taking different classes on alternate days. So attendance of students may vary grade wise. By the end of the week, the picture will become clearer.”

Principals of municipal schools have started conducting awareness sessions with parents and students and informing them about the safety measures being taken within the school premises, so more students get permission from parents to attend school. While attendance is not mandatory, all students require consent letters from parents to attend school.

On Wednesday, 7,332 students attended schools, as only English and Urdu medium schools were open. Marathi and Hindi medium schools had a holiday.