The sweet news for all educators in the country is about the partial resumption of activities in schools and colleges for students probably from ensuing 21 September. In the backdrop of ongoing 'Unlock 4', the Union Health Ministry on Tuesday this week has issued detailed guidelines in this regard.
All educational institutions in the country have been shut down since March 2020 due to the Covid-19 outbreak. Though most States were hinting at their readiness to reopen for long, the uncertainty regarding the reopening date was haunting. The guidelines have now unmuted the pause.
The new action comes at a time when students in many countries over the world are heading back to school with varying degrees of safety precautions. In France, after around six months about 10 million students headed back to classrooms in spite of the country seeing rising numbers of infections. In Israel, more than two million students returned despite a relatively high infection rate. In Russia, schools opened with few precautions and also in Spain, the worst current Covid epicenter in Europe.
In the Chinese city of Wuhan, the original center of the pandemic, it is reported that educational institutions serving close to 1.4 million students reopened recently except in the region of Xinjiang (West China) that is still reeling under the pandemic. Britain opened schools stating it as ‘moral duty’ and making it a part of a strategy to recover from the pandemic.
As per the surveys, majority of the parents were apprehensive about sending their wards to schools. Some States hesitated to decide on reopening considering the safety of students. On the contrary, States like Delhi, Haryana and Karnataka where the Covid situation was relatively under control had no apprehension about reopening and were awaiting the nod from the Centre.
All this while since the beginning of the academic calendar, educational institutions in India have been functioning with teachers attending their work with no students allowed for reporting. The remote-learning sessions have also begun in majority of the institutions as the resumption of normal schedule was awaited.
During the long waits, some sections of the media indicated that the government is planning to reopen the schools in a phased manner between September 1 and November 14, 2020. Meanwhile, some state boards and universities have truncated the syllabus for the current academic year by 20 to 30 percent to lessen the burden of the students.
The new guidelines allow for a phased reopening of schools and colleges from September 21. The skill or entrepreneurship training, higher educational institutions conducting doctoral courses and PG programmes, studies in technical and professional programmes requiring laboratory /experimental work has also been permitted from the above date. The reopening of schools for classes 9 to 12 is on a voluntary basis, allowing the States full control over the decision.
The new guidelines came after public health experts from three medical associations in India, namely the Indian Public Health Association, the Indian Association of Preventive and Social Medicine and the Indian Association of Epidemiologists wrote to the PM suggesting that educational institutions should be reopened in a graded manner. Their joint statement remarked that long closures have had a significant impact on the teaching-learning system and also on the mental health of the children.
The Centre has now established conditions that must be met before schools are reopened. The condition, however, is that classes will resume in a staggered manner and subject to the written consent of parents/guardians.
As per the guidelines assemblies, sports and events, which can lead to overcrowding, are strictly prohibited. As far as possible, it recommended to use outdoor spaces for conducting teacher-student interaction. Students, teachers, and staff members living in containment zones are barred from attending work. Only educational institutions outside containment zones will be allowed to reopen.
Though asymptomatic teachers, non-teaching staff students will be allowed in the premises with proper precautions as per the guidelines, all symptomatic ones are to be referred to the nearest health centre. Cleaning and regular disinfection of frequently touched surfaces are made mandatory in all classrooms, laboratories, lockers, parking and other common areas before beginning of classes and at the end of the day.
The mandatory conditions ensure to uphold the trust of parents and teachers in the health and safety measures to be ensured for their well-being and to ensure that the risk of contagion is minimized. The educational institutions must now renovate, improve, or install hygiene facilities as prescribed. The institutions must also keep a tap on Covid containment zones and accordingly plan for their staff mobilization based on priority.
It is almost certain now that the current problem is here to stay for some time. Efforts must be made to train teachers and staff to monitor students and identify those experiencing particular difficulties when they are back on the premises. The teachers, staff and students also need emotional support to mitigate the psycho-social impact of the crisis.
New timetables have to be made to ascertain that core syllabi are completed in the shortened terms while continuing to supplement limited learning in the premises. There is now doubt that the new guidelines will certainly boost the confidence of parents, students, and teachers in terms of school safety, and hence welcome.
It is almost certain now that the current problem is here to stay for some time. Efforts must be made to train teachers and staff to monitor students and identify those experiencing particular difficulties when they are back on the premises
