A day after the Tamil Nadu government announced that schools would be allowed to hold physical classes for students from Classes I to VIII from November 1, Minister for School Education Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi held meetings with School Education Department officials, including chief educational officers and directors, and said not more than 20 students should be seated in a classroom.
Mr. Mahesh told journalists that the government had made the decision to reopen schools only after consulting with health experts and considering their recommendations. “We are reiterating that children should not be forced to return to campus. This is just a start, where we are telling parents that schools are reopening and are ready to welcome children,” he said.
“The government is preparing standard operating procedures for campuses. Given the pandemic situation, and just like we had recommended for senior classes, not more than 20 students can be seated in a classroom,” he said.
Mr. Mahesh said owing to safety norms, schools might have to examine calling children on campus on a rotation basis, depending on the infrastructure and space available.
The Minister also spoke about why it was important to reopen schools for young children, owing to psychological reasons. He said children had been away from campuses, friends and teachers for long now.
Gearing up
Many schools fielded calls from parents with children going to primary and middle school, who had queries ranging from whether students would be asked to attend classes on alternate days to how to get school uniforms ready.
Students from Classes I to VIII were last on campus in March, 2020. It has been nearly 19 months since they attended physical classes, and schools in Tamil Nadu have been gearing up to welcome young students back.
Priyanka Ghosh, principal of Vikas Mantra School, said parents had been keen for a while to send children back to schools, and had reached out several times in the last few months regarding the same.
“We have also been waiting for a government announcement. Over the last few months, we have gone over factors that we will need to consider once students are back on campus, including scheduling breaks and lunch hours, assigning corridors for student movement, ensuring cleanliness on campus and so on,” she said.
Educators like her have welcomed the decision to reopen schools, owing to the fact that children can finally socialise with peers and teachers, after a long gap of being largely confined to their homes, with little to no interaction with children their age apart from online classes.
“We expect SoPs similar to those issued when senior classes began functioning to be released soon. Two main aspects that schools will have to look at are implementing physical distancing norms and ensuring safe transport for students,” said Ashok Shankar, general secretary, CBSE Schools’ Management Association. He said the aspects would determine whether schools go in for an alternate-day schedule, depending on the size of campus and infrastructure available.
A section of teachers of primary classes from government schools had recently appealed to the School Education Department to reopen schools at the earliest for primary and middle school students, citing learning loss over 19 months.
Welcome decision
“With most teachers vaccinated, and the ICMR too recommending that schools can reopen in phases, we welcome this decision. The academic welfare of students in rural areas, who have not had access to alternate modes of learning, and their mental health have been considered,” said V. Saravanan, a primary school teacher and State general secretary, Tamil Nadu Teachers’ Association.
P.B. Prince Gajendra Babu, educationist and general secretary, SPCSS-TN, stressed the importance of the mid-day meals provided in schools and said while the government had provided dry rations to children who have been missing mid-day meals, many families would have had to share it among themselves, given the loss of livelihood owing to COVID-19.
“When children are back on campus, teachers should take note of their physical and mental well being, given that they are returning after a long gap. More than straightaway addressing learning gaps, schools should focus on addressing health and nutritional aspects, as well as ensure that a system is in place where they are linked to a government health facility nearby for any emergency,” he added.
