BHOPAL: Schools set to re-open for classes 6 to 12 from Wednesday, after more than a year long pandemic triggered lockdown has triggered anxiety among parents and guardians who are adopting a wait and watch approach. Assurances by the district administration and school managements of 100% safety of their children in schools have failed to enthuse confidence among the parents. The administration has however made parents’ consent must for children attending classes physically.
“I am not sending my daughter to school tomorrow. Before they are fully vaccinated, no parent would like to take the risk,” said Kailash Sen, whose daughter is in class 6.
Schools on the other hand are going out of their way to assure the parents 100% safety of children in schools. Vice-president of MP Association of Unaided Private Schools, Vinny Raj Modi, said, “We have made all the preparations to ensure safety of children coming to schools according to SOP issued by the state government and we wish to invite parents to come to school and see for themselves, their children would be completely safe on the school campus.”
However, fear of the third wave of Coronavirus fuelled by speculations to that effect in media and elsewhere is a major reason for reluctance on the part of parents in sending their wards to schools. “I am surprised how the state government allowed the opening of schools even as the possibility of a third wave of Coronavirus is being expressed by the experts,” asked a worried parent.
However, there are some teachers who feel that it’s more of inertia than fear, which is stopping parents from sending their children to schools. “Children have not been going to school for over a year. There is some fear indeed but more than that it’s inertia which is stopping the parents and to some extent children from coming to schools. You see, schools from standard 9 to 12 are already on. Maybe once or twice in a week but classes are taking place. I don’t think Coronavirus cases have been reported from any school, yet attendance in these classes has remained dismally low. Nobody wants to put children at risk but feeling why to go to school when online classes are available is not fear but inertia, which children and their parents must overcome,” said a teacher of a prestigious public school on the condition of anonymity.
“My son has been attending classes. I think with adequate precautions, if children go to schools it’s not a problem at least for students from class 9 to 12,” said Omprakash Shrivastava, whose son is in class 12.
Even as debate on whether regular classes in schools should take place now when Coronavirus cases have come down drastically, availability of school buses is also in question. “The school buses have been off the roads for more than a year. It may take a few days to put them in order. Besides, not many parents have made inquiries on whether the school buses would ply or not. In this situation, I don’t think school buses will be available right from the first day,” said a school principal.
