Teachers worry as ZP schools still open

Even as the state education department has announced holidays for schools and other educational institutions in municipal corporations, municipalities and nagar

Even as the state education department has announced holidays for schools and other educational institutions in municipal corporations, municipalities and nagar panchayats from today, the exclusion of zilla parishad (ZP) schools from the list has created concern among teachers.

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After the announcement was made on Saturday, teachers from ZP schools said that the omission from the list would put their students at risk. “Many teachers come from smaller towns. Keeping the schools open would mean exposing students to people coming from outside and vice versa. This puts them at risk as many of them are not even aware of the precautions to take,” said a teacher from a school in Sangli.

Teachers said that with exams scheduled to take place over the next few days, students would have to come to school. “If schools are open, most children are likely to attend. We sincerely urge the government to amend the guidelines. Many parents are also urging the same as they are worried about their children,” said a principal from a ZP school near Pune. Teachers also said that with some ZP schools being in the vicinity of municipal schools, this rule is discriminatory.

Officials from the education department said that the decision of including and excluding institutes lies with the state government and a notification can be issued only as per the orders given to them.