• Schools and PU colleges to reopen from August 23 in the sugar bowl of Karnataka
• But, the children in Kodagu have to wait for physical classes as schools aren’t reopening in the coffee land because of the prevailing positivity rate which is 2 percent
Shankar Bennur
:
School teachers in Mandya have been strictly told to bring RT-PCR negative report while coming to the schools that are being reopened for running classroom teaching for Classes 9 and 10 from Monday.
“The negative reports are a must for teachers reporting to work on Monday,” said Minister in charge of Mandya district K.C. Narayana Gowda in Mandya on Saturday.
Mr .Gowda, who chaired a meeting in view of the reopening of schools and PU colleges, told the school authorities to monitor the health of every child and report to health authorities for medical assistance.
“Try to remove disquiet among the children and their parents when they come to the schools on Monday. Greet them by giving sweets or chocolates to lighten the mood. You have to instill confidence among the parents about the safety in schools for their wards,” he told the officials from the Department of Public Instruction.
Being the Minister for Sports and Youth Empowerment, Mr Gowda advised the schools to set aside one hour daily for sports, which, he felt, are essential for the physical fitness of the children. The teachers have to record the health of each child daily.
Mr. Gowda, who reviewed the preparations done for the reopening of schools and PU colleges, said Mandya has 2,529 schools, including government, aided and unaided institutions. It is a must for teachers to take at least one dose of vaccine before reporting to the school and taking classes for the children.
Teachers above 50 years of age have been asked to wear face shields while the rest of teachers and other staff members and children have to wear face masks compulsorily.
Melkote MLA and former Minister C.S. Puttaraju said hygiene in schools must be maintained regularly as it plays a major role in the health of children. The police must take steps to ensure that no eateries, including the push-carts selling ice-creams or other eatables, are sold in front of the schools, as a precaution.
WAIT TO GET LONGER IN KODAGU
However, in Kodagu, the wait for joining offline classes has only gotten longer for the students because of the district’s positivity rate which is 2 per cent. The State government is not ready to allow schools in Kodagu to reopen as it doesn’t meet the conditions in view of its prevailing TPR.
Kodagu has been identified as a high-risk district because of its proximity to Kerala where the cases have continued to soar, triggering alerts in the bordering districts.
Students have continued to face interruptions in online classes with villages in the hilly areas troubled by poor internet connectivity issues. This has affected continuity in learning and the locals wanted the offline classes, at least for the higher classes, to resume at the earliest with the pandemic situation eased to a large extent.
A note from the office of Deputy Director of Public Instruction (DDPI), Madikeri, on Saturday said the schools aren’t reopening in the district from Monday as the positivity rate over the last 10 days stands at 2 per cent. So, it doesn’t qualify to run the physical classes until the TPR falls below 2 per cent.
A DPI official in Kodagu said teachers were recording classes and sharing the link with the students on WhatsApp groups. The content of classes broadcast on other platforms are also shared on the groups for the benefit of students. “Because of its proximity to Kerala, the reopening of classes has been put off in Kodagu. Once the situation becomes normal and TPR drops below 2 per cent, our schools too will reopen and the students can attend offline classes,” the official said.
