Schools tackle terror aftermath

Anxious about the possible fall-out of Wednesday’s blasts on children, Podar Jumbo Kids, a pre-school in Santacruz sent out a circular to parents of its students on Friday, asking them to deal with the matter sensitively.

Anxious about the possible fall-out of Wednesday’s blasts on children, Podar Jumbo Kids, a pre-school in Santacruz sent out a circular to parents of its students on Friday, asking them to deal with the matter sensitively.

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“The visuals will now get gorier as the media will start showing pictures of devastated buildings, mangled bodies and people weeping in sorrow,” said the circular from Podar Jumbo Kids. “Your children are going to be affected by all this, and hiding facts from them or not answering their questions will not be the right way to handle this, it may only make matters worse for them.”

The circular goes on to list how parents should be sensitive with their children, encourage them to express themselves and avoid discussing graphic details in front of them.

Many schools in the city reported low attendance on Thursday, because of the blasts and the rains, but said things were back to normal on Friday.

“We are approaching the issue indirectly to give them the confidence to be safe,” said Kavita Aggarwal, principal of DG Khetan International School in Malad. “What do they need to do in case of an attack? They shouldn’t panic, they should know helpline numbers; these are the things we will be talking to them about.” Apeejay school authorities will be appraising students on general safety, and NES International School in Mulund has decided to beef up security in the wake of the recent blasts.