Do not reopen schools in June, stakeholders tell education department

As the state education department is exploring possible options to reopen schools in some parts of the state in June, experts have said the government should not

As the state education department is exploring possible options to reopen schools in some parts of the state in June, experts have said the government should not rush to restart schools.

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The department had asked for suggestions from the stakeholders including school owners, principals and parents regarding reopening schools in the state. Most responses opposed starting of schools before July. “While red zone areas are at a high risk, even green zones have some risk involved because migration is taking place from red zones to green zones and cases might come up. Reopening schools might put the lives of lakhs of students at risk, and thus needs to be pushed as late as possible,” said the head of a school chain in Mumbai.

On May 23, state education minister Varsha Gaikwad spoke to a set of experts and senior officials in the education department. “Almost all stakeholders agreed that classes must not begin for primary students till at least July-end. Some suggested extending the guidelines for students till Class 8. School for Classes 9 and 10 could begin in green zones and orange zones,” said an expert present at the meeting.

Parents said the department should wait and continue with online teaching until the risk is completely eliminated. “There is no point in hurrying at the moment as we all know there is immense risk involved. Parents won’t send their children to schools in such a situation even if they reopen,” said Anubha Sahai, president of the India Wide Parents Association.

Anil Bornare, coordinator of BJP Teachers Cell, said in cities like Mumbai where many schools are in densely populated areas, following social distancing norms is a tough task. “It is okay if there is a delay in reopening but this risk cannot be taken,” he said.