MUMBAI: Over 50 academicians, including professors from IIT-Bombay, IIT-Delhi and Delhi University, doctors, lawyers and parents from Maharashtra, Delhi and Karnataka, have written an open letter to chief ministers of their respective states, presenting a case to reopen schools.
The petitioners have said there may never be a “zero-case scenario” as Covid-19 is here to stay. They have also said in addition to learning loss, children are facing mental distress, reduced development of social skills and are losing confidence. They have requested state heads to set up a task force on an urgent basis to plan reopening of schools.
Schools in the country have largely remained closed for 16 months, even as scientific evidence is in favour of reopening them with all safety protocols in place, they said. The signatories said vaccination of the eligible population is likely to take many more months and vaccinating children cannot be a prerequisite for reopening schools at this point.
Bhaskaran Raman, professor in the computer science and engineering department, IIT-Bombay, said one whole academic year has been a washout for most students and if this continues for a second year, it will be a major disservice to our coming generations. “We are already witnessing extreme dropout rates in several states. As a country, this break from schools would push us back by decades. Not just rural and urban poor who are at a loss, children from well-to-do families are facing serious mental health issues too.” Many countries have already opened their schools, he said.
The signatories have suggested a plan to reopen schools in a staggered manner, starting with regions where the positivity is low. “Explore opening of pre-primary and primary sections before secondary schools, offer vaccines on priority to school staff, starting with smaller groups of students to attend once or twice a week, ensure proper ventilation,” they suggested.
Meanwhile, Vijay Yewale, member of the state’s paediatric Covid task force, told TOI one cannot compare India with other countries. A majority of the population in countries such as the UK has developed herd immunity, he said. “While we agree with all the academic and developmental losses students face, reopening schools is a tough call even for the government,” he added.
