New Delhi: The Ministry of Home Affairs issued guidelines for Unlock 4 on 29 August, permitting partial reopening of schools from 21 September.
“Students of classes 9 to 12 may be permitted to visit their schools, in areas outside containment zones only, on a voluntary basis, for taking guidance from their teachers,” said the guidelines.
Students will be permitted to go to school only with prior written consent from parents and only 50 per cent of the teaching and non-teaching staff will be called in.
Shorter hours, reduced strength, masks and sanitisers will be the norm as per standard operating procedure (SOP) released by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
Also read: Bengaluru private schools want to charge students ‘Covid fees’ to cover sanitisation costs
Serological surveys show children have high Covid incidence
Studies have shown that children are less susceptible to severe Covid-19 as compared to adults. But if infected, they can become asymptomatic carriers of the disease.
Delhi’s second serological survey in August found about 35 per cent of children in the age group of 5-17 tested positive for antibodies — the highest percentage among all participants. Indore’s survey found a seroprevalence of about 7 per cent in children, which is similar to that of adults.
These numbers show that despite closure of schools, children have contracted the infection. Yet, some experts have welcomed the reopening of schools on the grounds that children have already built antibodies.
India is not the first to reopen schools. The US did so in in early August and within two weeks, it was found that there had been a 90 per cent increase in the number of Covid cases in children. A report by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association found that Covid clusters were found in Florida, Georgia and Mississippi schools days after reopening.
Israel reopened its schools in May after witnessing a slowdown in Covid spread but within weeks, thousands of students and teachers had to be sent into quarantine. Similarly, Germany saw 41 of its 825 schools in Berlin reporting cases of Covid with two weeks of reopening.
All this now raises the question if India, having reported more than 44 lakh Covid cases and with no signs of it slowing down, is ready for schools functioning as usual.
Also read: A JEE hopeful’s exam day amid pandemic — fear, anxiety, nausea and lots of sanitiser
Experts advise caution
Anant Bhan, Researcher, Global health, Bioethics and Health Policy, is of the opinion that while households with no access to the internet may find physical school useful, the move comes with certain risks.
He said, “Countries across the world are struggling to find the best way to open schools. With the present guidelines, it is essential that district authorities maintain strict surveillance so that schools do not become Covid clusters.”
A serological survey by the Indian Council for Medical Research found a higher seroprevalence in urban areas, indicating a higher infection rate in cities. Talking about this, Bhan added, “Reopening of schools should first be attempted in areas with low-infection rates and once the success rate is determined, schools in high-infection areas like Mumbai and Delhi should be opened.”
Promulgating a similar idea, public health specialist Dr Anand Lakshman wrote, “Instead of a unitary school reopening policy for the entire country, given the difference in timings of peaks and rates of spread in various geographies, we should be empowering states, municipalities and panchayats to take local decisions based on their respective peaks, positivity rates, cases, death rates and sero-prevalence.”
Meanwhile, Giridhar R. Babu, professor and head, lifecourse epidemiology, at Public Health Foundation of India, is strongly against the move.
Speaking talking to ThePrint, he said, “One in three children in India are malnourished, add to that the physical and mental stress of the pandemic. This suggests that Indian children do not have a great immune response. With their movement in public transport, they stand the risk of spreading it.”
According to a UNICEF report, 69 per cent of deaths of children below the age of five in India happen due to malnutrition.
Talking about Delhi survey, Babu said, “This only shows that strict lockdown was not implemented in Delhi. It is reported that most children might have no symptoms or have mild symptoms. We do not have representative seroprevalence estimates from elsewhere in children to understand what adversities they may face. I am worried about multisystem inflammatory diseases in children, that occur as a sequelae in children. I would like to err on the side of being overcautious rather than expose children to unknown risk.”
Also read: 1.38 lakh Telangana students struggle to tune in as govt school classes begin online
Parents and teachers
A survey by LocalCircles, a community social media platform, said only 33 per cent of parents support the opening of schools.
Sunita Agrawal, a 48-year-old homemaker based in Dhangendra, Gujarat, is hesitant to send her daughter to school. “Whatever learning is required is happening via online classes. While I understand the importance given to Class 12 exams, but they are not more important than my daughter’s life,” she told ThePrint.
Aarti Devi, a 38-year-old Delhi resident who has three school-going children, said she would prefer that her children study online. “The area that we live in (Munirka village) has recently seen a spike in Covid numbers. We don’t want to risk it by sending our children to school,” said the parent whose daughter has just started her Class 12.
She added, “With so many children present, I doubt if teachers will be able to maintain a strict eye on all students. Children being children will invariably end up intermingling and sharing lunches.”
A teacher working with a private school in Delhi, too, was uncomfortable with the idea. “I know my school will diligently follow the rules but I will still prefer to opt out.” She said the risk for teachers would be much greater since travelling by metro and cabs would increase their exposure to infection.
Also read: Multiple entry-exits, no use of saliva to turn pages — govt SOP to conduct exams amid Covid
Don’t open school
I HAVE CAME WITH AN IDEA!?
Don’t open schools for this session
We all know less studies happen in schools and many students nowadays go to local tutions in evening where only 10-15 students come and one teacher (whom we call didi or bhaiya )
I request government to officially encourage these local tutions (especially in rural areas) for this session as opening schools where 1000 people come everyday will be a foolish decision. Even recovered nations closed the schools within 2-3 days of opening. The school teachers should turn into tution wala for this session. This method can apply to rural areas also and in urban areas if they can afford they can take online classes.
I myself live in a poor village in Rajasthan and I have seen these tutions have started at “tutor’s house” but now the government should officially encourage them.
India has the biggest advantage that local tution system exist in our nation (and not in other countries) and we have more than enough enough tutors in our country?
Hamare bacche padh nahin pa rahe hain school Coleman jaroori hai coronavirus coronavirus ke bich hamen Apne bacchon Ko padhaanaa hi hoga aise kab tak rahenge hamare bacche barbad Ho jaenge jinke paas paison ki Kami nahin hai unhen jarurat kya hai ham Garib aadami kaise kaise karke padhte Hain usmein bhi bacche ki padhaai nahin kar pa rahe kya Karen school kholna bahut jaruri hai online classes padhaai nahin Hoti kisi ke parents pade na ho to vah kya Karega kisi ke pass phone Na Ho to vah kya Karegajinke gharon mein man baap padhe likhe Hain to vah to padhaai lenge jinke gharon mein man baap padhe likhe nahin hai to vah kya karenge pirona ka bhi joking Lena hi padega aisi darne ki koi baat nahin hai nivedan hai ki school khol diye jaen jald se jald nahin to bahut bacche barbad Ho jaenge aur to aur school bhi jabardasti fees Lene Ko taiyar Hain agar koi baccha fees nahin dega usko TC bhi nahin denge yah school ka kahana Sarkar iske bare mein to kuchh bol hi nahin Rahi
It’s better not to open school as life is more important than school
Yah
Will the government reply to this comment- A consent form is taken from the parents for the students who wants to attend the school. Being a responsible government along with respective school authorities they should infact give a written consent to all parents assuring that there is no harm in sending our wards to school. Mere speeches and lectures should be limited to themselves. Please don’t put the future of the country at risk for your wicked and senseless ideas.
Reopening the schools are the same as killing the lives of young youth. Children are children. Even if we take precautions, we parents at home will be very anxious of how my children are doing at school. Why take the risk?? I understand that many of us are facing some internet connections or the children are not being sincere and are misusing the use of technologies. But it is the duty of the parents, us to look out for our children. We are fine if we get infected, but children getting being infected means destroying the future of the country. Children are the future of the country. They will holds the future of the country. Why risking their innocent lives. I request you to think again and take the decision wisely.
This all happened again without solving the problem, so let us know human failed against viruses. Damn man, on what purpose our education system literature us to see what’s happening right now. I am probably not gonna Admit that without vaccation things really gonna happen normal.
Sarkar ka yeh bhot galt faisla hai
Not a good idea in present days the number of increasing case
Please reopen the school ???
Don’t reopen school
Man, re-open the schools!!
Yes. Plzz reopen da skool.
Foolish decision to re open schools ..both the student and teacher are at high risk
.Besides the grandparents at home can also contract the virus from their grandkids
Please call the students of those parents who wants to school open. They are showing how much they are serious about study. We r also serious about study but hello dont forget the coronavirus danger
Before the situation calms down plz don’t start the schools as usual…. Because history and presence are the vitnesses of what’s the condition of our school and some areas higene is.
Because Indian Constitution says that safety of Indian citizens must be first….
it’s the matter of country’s future
It’s the matter of country’s presence
It’s the matter of we students….
Before the situation calms down plz don’t start the schools as usual…. Because history and presence are the vitnesses of what’s the condition of our school and some areas higene is.
Because Indian Constitution says that safety of Indian citizens must be first…. ?
Please reopen schools because our students weast their time and time pass to mobile so our future depend on what we do in the present so I request you please open schools
Children are our lifelines.
We live for our kids.
In no case, under none circumstance, would we send our kids to school.
Education is important for everyone.
But education teaches us to think sensibly.
So, pls let us all utilize our education and learning and realize that no politics, no economy, nothing is more important than children’s life.
क्या6/7घंटे तक लगातार कोई मास्क लगा सकता है फिर बच्चे जो स्वाभाविक रूप चंचल स्वभाव के होते हैं।एक घंटे मेँ ही साँस फूलने लगती है।इस लिए जब तक वैक्सीन नहीं आ जाती है स्कूल खोलना उचित नही है।क्योंकि बच्चों को कंट्रोल करना मुश्किल है।जैसे कि सभी माता पिता जानते हैं।
सही बोला
Uff ? when will schools get reopened in Tamil Nadu
Really online classes are waste…. ??..
As a student I say actually how many days u stay at home ;these all days legal or illegal they started to cutting the trees, etc. Technology who need technology, by diminishing beautiful NATURE. So corona has made to understand not disturb or distrove anything
Please don’t reopen the school .. parents are more worried thn the students i ‘ve stucked in chhattisgarh and my school is in Jharkhand so how could I attend my classes since trains are still not running..