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Uttarakhand faced up with challenge of ensuring COVID norms in 9K schools
After cabinet nod for opening schools in the state from class 6-12, ensuring social and physical distancing among students in classes is a major challenge for the education department.
After cabinet nod for opening schools in the state from class 6-12, ensuring social and physical distancing among students in classes is a major challenge for the education department.
Around 9000 government and private schools will open in the state from February 8. The state cabinet on Saturday decided that schools will reopen for students from class 6-12.
R Meenakshi Sundaram, secretary for school education in the state said, “We are still planning on how to ensure the following of Covid-19 appropriate behaviour once schools reopen for classes 6-12. The state government in consultation with the health department and disaster management department will be releasing standard operating procedures for the same. We could follow classes in batch system or alternate days, but social and physical distancing along with sanitisation will be ensured.”
The secretary further said that Covid-19 test will be mandatory for all students studying in boarding schools, but not for day scholars.
“For boarding schools, quarantine and Covid-19 test will be mandatory as students will be coming from outside, but for day scholars it is not possible to test all students. Coronavirus cases are already in control in the state, with almost zero cases for days from seven hilly districts, so students will be called to schools after taking all precautions,” added Sundaram.
The senior official said that it is important to reopen the schools as students, especially from government schools “are not able to cope up through online mode of education.”
However, the parents’ association in the state are against reopening of schools from class 6-12 from February 8.
Arif Khan, head of National Association for Parents and Students Rights (NAPSR) said that parents in the state are against the decision of reopening schools apart from board classes in the state.
“Most parents have told us that they do not support the decision of reopening schools from class 6-12. Covid-19 cases are still being reported and there have been instances where cases have surged after being in control for some time. In such a situation, risking the lives of children is not right. We have written to the union education minister regarding this and also to the state government to reconsider their decision,” said Khan.
In Uttarakhand, schools are functional for students of class 10 and 12, since November 2 last year. In October, the state cabinet had approved the reopening of schools for class 10-12 following Covid-19 appropriate behaviour, as students have to prepare for board exams
