The decision of the State Directorate of Education to reopen schools for Classes 1 to 12th from Monday should be welcomed since the Covid situation in the State has tapered down and also because learning of students has been crippled for a substantially long time. There may be just around two months of schooling left in the current academic year, but this short window will help students, teachers and faculty to bridge the nearly two-year break, and also tide over the shortcomings of online exams and assessments. Goa joins a host of other states like Rajasthan, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Chandigarh, West Bengal in recalling students to schools.
The objective of keeping children away from schools in a conscious effort to isolate them from the virus somewhat appears lost when the rest of the family has been going through their routines in offices, workplaces and other public spaces. Let’s not forget the massive engagement of people out of their residences seen during the recent election campaigns. In the political din, the focus on education seems to have been completely lost despite opinions by experts on how the educational and mental health of students is getting affected.
While we keep the past behind and move forward, the ball will however be in the court of school managements and how they adapt to the change in environment and bridge the gap of nearly two years. That being the case, the Directorate of Education has blown the whistle abruptly giving the schools as little as two days to lay the groundwork for this reunion.
Strange are the ways the department switches on and off systems literally taking the schools for granted. Now that the decision has been conveyed, the schools will have to scurry and ensure that an elaborate list of SOPs is in place. The schools, according to the Union Ministry of Education directives for reopening are required to undertake a host of measures keeping in mind the safety and wellbeing of students and provide them with a conducive learning environment. Schools are required to make specific markings to manage queues and ensure social distancing. They need to decide on the consent of parents, organise sanitization of school buses at least twice a day -- before and after trips, prepare a readiness module/bridge course which is to be implemented to help students adjust to the changed school environment, prepare the material with a focus on comprehension and numeracy skills, continue with the hybrid model of education also till the situation stabilizes, and more importantly, arrange emergency medical facilities. A crucial area that requires an action plan is prompt medical attention if a student is found infected in a class. The to-do list runs much deeper.
The decision to reopen could have been taken a few days back, giving time for schools to draw up plans. We are looking at the resumption of schools after two years of the pandemic, and not the Diwali or Summer holidays. The Education Department continues with its practice of issuing circulars without factoring in the ground realities of schools and without taking stakeholders into confidence. The decision to reopen schools is a welcome step but should have been timed better.
