When is the Right Time to Restart Schools: Sooner or Later?

• Easing of restrictions in a phased manner to kick-start long stalled economic activities are already showing positive results across the country save for few grim States battling the menace. Except those States where the pandemic continues to rage unabated, many other less affected States are mulling to reopen schools and colleges after a hiatus of almost three months. Apparently, the Government wishes to tread cautiously on a very sensitive matter weighing in feedbacks received from all concerned stakeholders.
• One of the most crucial sector that has significant bearing on a country’s growth trajectory is none other than the Education segment demanding sensitive handling and attention. Proposed guidelines emanating from the Union Human Resources Development Ministry has only succeeded in evoking strong opposition from the worried parents fearing safety of their children. Months of information bombardment on the virulent virus appears to have greatly influenced decisions of parents going by their frenzied reactions.

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• Few of the arguments put forth by the parents defies logic as well as lacks coherence. Some demands like not sending the children to school till not even one Covid-19 case gets reported, till a vaccine is found and administered are nothing but paranoid responses invariably failing to resonate with the authorities seeking saner inputs. For all that we know, Covid-19 will be followed by Covid-20 and Covid-21 as well since inventing effective vaccine might not fructify in the immediate future even though unverified claims on the contrary are making rounds.

PC: Worlds of Education

• Point to ponder over here is how long the parents are willing to protect their progenies from the ill-effects of virus without allowing their wards to attend schools thereby curtailing critical learning years. Are the parents prepared to forego children’s education for a year or two taking umbrage under the virus scare? If not immediately, parents’ are bound to make up their minds allowing children to attend school eventually. Million-dollar question is when children should be allowed to attend schools though.
• To begin with, all children should be allowed to go out and play freely under the supervision of players / elders / caretakers etc. with strict advice to adhere to social distancing norms and wearing masks compulsorily. Gradual acclimatisation to the surroundings helps get rid of scare mongering as also instilling requisite confidence to move around. Once this is achieved in a span of month or so i.e. June and July, schools can commence academic year in a staggered manner subsequently.

PC: HW News

• Beginning August, start with higher grades, say 9 to 12, then move on to grades 2 to 8 and finally pre-primary and grade 1s, respectively. The last category may be allowed from September onwards. Hopefully, by then things should be looking much better for all concerned, especially parents. Go for it!