Clarify basis on which schools are being reopened: Punjab oppn leader to govt
He questioned whether the government, in particular the departments of education and health, has ensured that all 22 lakh students in government schools and about 38 lakh students in private schools have masks
Chandigarh The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has appealed to Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh to clarify concerns raised over the decision to reopen all government and private schools in the state.
Leader of opposition Harpal Singh Cheema asked the state government that on the basis of which report of doctors and education experts, such a big decision had been taken. “This is a decision related to the lives of 60.5 lakh children, who form 20% of the population of the state,” he said.
Cheema added that to allay the worries and anxieties of lakhs of parents, the CM, school education minister Vijay Inder Singla, health minister Balbir Singh Sidhu, along with ruling Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu, should make it clear that the state was completely free of Covid.
“Is Punjab now completely safe from the threat of Delta variants, including the second and most talked about third wave of the Covid? Shouldn’t parents and teachers be concerned about new Covid cases that have been on the rise across the country for the past three-four days?” he added.
He questioned whether the government, in particular the departments of education and health, has ensured that all 22 lakh students in government schools and about 38 lakh students in private schools have full provision of masks by parents or government and that no student will enter the school without mask.
The LoP added if the government has taken this sudden decision to open the schools without any pressure and by thoroughly examining the potential dangers including ground reports of medical, education and technical experts, then the party has no objection to the government’s decision.