BHOPAL: After Uttar Pradesh decided to reopen schools, Madhya Pradesh is now mulling reopening campuses fulltime for classes 9-12 and a few days a week for classes 1-8. The proposal is with chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, school education minister Inder Singh Parmar told school associations on Wednesday.
While schools cheered, parents cautioned against being “hasty”. Fear of the third wave still looms and a vaccine for children is some way off, they pointed out. The apprehension of parents can be gauged from the dismal attendance in private schools since partial reopening was allowed on July 26 and August 5.
A delegation of school associations met Parmar on Wednesday and demanded reopening of campuses. At present, classes 9-10 are allowed once a week and classes 11 and 12 twice a week, with 50% attendance. During the meeting, minister Parmar assured the school associations that the department is working on a plan to reopen classes. “The decision to open schools is pending with the chief minister,” Parmar is believed to have told the delegation.
‘Want 100% attendance in classes 9-12’
We want the state government to open regular schools, with 100% attendance, for classes 9 to 12. Other classes can be reopened on particular days. We have also demanded a relief package from the state government for schools to save them. We also wish to meet CM Chouhan in this regard,” said Babu Thomas, secretary of MP Association of Unaided Private Schools, , who had met the minister along with association vice-president Vinay Raj Modi.
“We want to remind the state government that they had decided to open schools after August 15 as Covid cases were dropping,” said Modi. School associations will organise a meeting on Thursday to decide the next course of action.
The parents’ association feels it’s not the right time to reopen schools. “Ensure vaccination of children before classes 9-12 are reopened. As for classes 1-8, we have been opposing reopening as the fear of the third wave is still there,” said Kamal Vishwakarma, president of MP Parents’ Association.
“There should not be any haste in opening primary classes in such a situation,” he cautioned.
