“I will not be sending my son Aarav to school till the time a vaccine is made available in the market. I would rather prefer that he sits at home than risk his life for some grades,” says Gurugram-based Shruti Kakar, an MNC employee, who is certain that schooling has taken a back seat as the world deals with the pandemic. “From commuting to school to being in the classroom, each step is dangerous, and I’m not willing to gamble our lives,” adds Kakar. And, she isn’t alone as parents across Delhi-NCR are concerned about how to make up their mind to send their kids to school, whenever they reopen.
For some, the bigger question is about affording their child’s education amid major salary cuts that have already hit the budget of most households. Noida-based Akanksha Arora — whose husband lost his job due to coronavirus leading to an economic slowdown — says they have had to withdraw their kids from a private school in Noida. “We were anyway worried about sending our daughters to school. My business of organising events has suffered massive losses, and with the school not giving a waiver on the fees, we had no choice but to plan to teach our kids at home, for this entire year. It’s not a bad idea to teach kids at home, but this decision has been forced upon us by the circumstances.”
Most parents have already doubled up as teachers since the schools had closed for lockdown. As classes continue online, and teachers struggle to adapt to virtual teaching, Deepika Pawra, a sales manager, who is helping her 7-year-old son Unnat with online classes, says, “Till the time the pandemic dies down completely, the idea of schools reopening seems misplaced. It’s very hard to ensure safe social distancing among children. With the general school strength, how will they be seated? How will they interact with each other? A lot of questions need to be answered if the schools mull on reopening.”
{{/usCountry}}Most parents have already doubled up as teachers since the schools had closed for lockdown. As classes continue online, and teachers struggle to adapt to virtual teaching, Deepika Pawra, a sales manager, who is helping her 7-year-old son Unnat with online classes, says, “Till the time the pandemic dies down completely, the idea of schools reopening seems misplaced. It’s very hard to ensure safe social distancing among children. With the general school strength, how will they be seated? How will they interact with each other? A lot of questions need to be answered if the schools mull on reopening.”
{{/usCountry}}In fact, parents are now widely discussing the idea of schooling their kids at home to keep them safe. They have been asking for study material online as well as guidance from parents who have been homeschooling their children for years now. Aditi Jain, a Gurugram resident, is one such parent who says, “I’m trying to understand the curriculum, to make my son adjust to it when I teach him at home. The present Work From Home scenario might become a permanent feature of my job, and since coronavirus has put a big question mark on the safety of public spaces including schools, I felt it’s better if I take things in my hand and keep my kid safe!”
Author tweets @bhagat_mallika
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