MUMBAI: Considering a marked drop in Covid-19 cases and with board exams going offline, educational institutions want to return to full-time physical classes and have requested the state to scrap the parental consent clause that has seen many opting for virtual classrooms. Medical experts, too, say it is safe for children to return to "real classrooms".
The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed a plea seeking to cancel physical board exams across states.
Schools and colleges now want the state to make offline attendance mandatory so that internal exams can also be held in class.
"The circular restricting school timings and the hybrid mode should be scrapped. Students should get to physical schools before the academic year ends," said Dr Veena Donwalkar, principal, Chhatrapati Shivaji School, Dharavi.
Child specialists are already seeing cases where children have developed tendencies of hyperactivity, are demanding more screen time and are hesitant to socialise. Paediatrician Dr Pramod Jog, a member of the state paediatric task force, said the pandemic is on the decline and the third wave is nearly over in Mumbai.
"We encourage parents to send their children to physical schools. There could be psycho-social implications of keeping children confined to homes any longer," said the doctor, adding socialisation is important for their development.
Currently, Class 1-8 students have to be allowed to choose between offline and online education and even exams. The hybrid mode and reduced school hours (3-4 hours) have been creating hurdles in education, say educationists.
Kavita Nagpal, principal, Orchids The International School, Masjid Bunder, said, "As we have gained normalcy everywhere, so should educational institutes. We still have time to prepare children for formal assessments."
State Covid task force member Dr Shashank Joshi said schools can go fully offline and parents shouldn't worry about infections in kids. "Children have mostly had mild or no disease in all the three waves. They also needn't link schooling to vaccination," he said.
Educationist Francis Joseph said offline exams are crucial for the betterment of education.
Parents are resisting offline classes as the academic year is nearing closure, said principals, adding students were hoping to get assessed internally like last year, without formal exams.
Final school exams are usually conducted in April.
