E-Paper
Primary schools open in Kashmir after a year
Primary schools opened in Kashmir on Monday, a year after being closed due to the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic.
Primary schools opened in Kashmir on Monday, a year after being closed due to the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic.
The students from Nursery to Class 5th started attending schools though in a staggered manner to maintain social distancing and avoid crowding. The students and teachers wore masks and used hand sanitisers.
“My son was very happy to go to school today. The seesaws and slides suddenly came to life in the schools,” said Mohammad Asif, parent of a class 4 student of north Kashmir.
While many parents have decided to send their wards to the schools but there is general anxiety among the parents as well as teachers owing to the pandemic.
“My son told me that they were not allowed to eat anything at the school. They were not even allowed to talk freely with each other. The teachers would often advise the students to sanitise their hands,” said Nayeema, parent of a class-1 student of Srinagar.
Saqib Ahmad, a primary school teacher of a government school in Srinagar, said that they have divided each class in two to teach in shifts during the day .
“Our students lost a lot in terms of education in 2019 and 2020. The schools have hardly opened for the past two years- first owing to the situation (following abrogation of article 370) and then due to pandemic in 2020. We will have to innovate ways to resume their education,” he said.
The government had deferred the opening of primary classes till March 15 after a number of schools reported positive Covid-19 cases following opening of schools for the students of 9th to 12th classes from March 1 and for those of 6th to 8th from March 8. The colleges opened on February 15 across the UT.
In March 2020, the government of Jammu and Kashmir had ordered closure of all academic institutions, including schools, colleges and universities, across the Union Territory in view of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak worldwide.
Most of the schools have divided the number of students into two and asked the parents to send their wards on alternate days. Some schools have also decided to teach in two shifts during the day to divide the class strength by half. Some schools have not yet opened primary classes.
Rafiq Rather, chairman of Teachers Forum, said that the government schools should get funds for sanitisers and masks.
“Many primary government schools are overcrowded owing to lack of accommodation. The schools should also get funds for sanitisers. There should also be frequent medical checkups,” he said.
