PANAJI
UNICEF India is batting for governments to reopen schools as early as possible warning of a "generational catastrophe". Some States in India, including Delhi and Telengana have taken firm decisions to bring children back to schools in phases but the task is daunting for Goa.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant is on record that his government will take a decision on re-opening of schools for physical classes only after the Ganesh Chaturthi festival, although Colleges in Goa have been permitted to begin offline classes from September 1.
Early Monday morning, UNICEF India tweeted: "Our message is clear: Governments must prioritize the safe reopening of schools to avoid generational catastrophe. #ForEveryChild, education."
With the Covid situation still not clear -- the State has been witnessing deaths consistently and a daily count of fresh infections hovering in the range of 50 to 110 -- the State administration is weary to take any decision particularly with neighbouring States like Maharashtra and Kerala bracing up for the third wave.
Schools in Goa have begun academic work in the current year again in the online mode like last year and are facing resistance from sections of students and parents to carry out any work, including holding tests and examinations in the physical mode.
Recently, a move from some schools in South Goa to hold internal examinations in the physical mode for class XII students faced vociferous protests and the State administration stepped in to dissuade the schools.
Senior officials of the Directorate of Education said, it will be a daunting task to reopen schools for physical classes as ensuring Covid-appropriate behaviour in the student community especially getting in and out of the schools will be an impossible task.
"Crowding around entrances of school campuses is highly prevalent. Many parents resort to driving their kids to school which results in chaos. Some sort of out-of-the-box thinking, possibly alternate day classes or odd-even grades formula may have to be worked out if and when a decision to start physical classes is taken," a top Education Department official said.
In the national capital, meanwhile, schools open their doors for students of class IX upwards from Tuesday with strict SOPs, foremost of which requires teaching and non-teaching staff to be 100 per-cent vaccinated. The schools are also mandated to ensure that in-and-out timings for students differ and only 50 per-cent of the classroom's seating capacity is occupied at all times.
Colleges in Goa are being allowed to begin physical classes from September 1 and the State's steering committee on Covid-19 management is convened to meet on September 17, by which time the three weeks of experience of the Colleges holding physical classes is expected to come in handy to take a call, officials say.
Meanwhile, staying confined in homes, lack of outdoor activity and inability to mingle with friends, experts believe has had unforeseen impact on children and teenagers.
In fact Sethu, a professional organisation which designs interventions for developmental, behavioral, emotional and learning difficulties in children from birth to 19 years, is currently conducting a survey to assess the impact of the pandemic and the abnormal conditions imposed on children by it.
Sethu's survey is targeting children in the 10 to 18-year bracket, typically those studying in grades V to XII.
