MUMBAI: As different states have begun reopening educational institutes for higher classes, parents have varying views about sending their children back to physical school, reveals a survey. Parents of seven out of 10 children who responded to the survey said they are not ready for offline classes for their children. Across India, this number was even higher. Parental consent is a must for students to attend physical schools.
Schools across the country have been shut since March last year due to the pandemic. States like Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh welcomed back higher secondary students to schools last month.
The online survey conducted last month by LocalCircles, a community social media platform, across tier 1, 2, and 3 districts in the country found that ‘lack of vaccination’ was the biggest concern among parents. In June, when a similar survey was conducted, 37% of parents spoke of vaccinating students before sending them to school. “The third wave targeting children and the government’s plans to vaccinate those aged 12 and above may be the reason for a 11% jump in parents wanting vaccination before physical schools,” said chairperson and founder Sachin Taparia.
The survey found that parents would like schools to vaccinate children. The survey received feedback from 32,000 parents from 361 districts across the country.
In Maharashtra, schools in rural areas free of Covid are open for classes 8-12. IIT professors, doctors and parents last month wrote to the chief minister of a few states to setup a task force to look into reopening of schools.
