Schools, Colleges Will Reopen After August 15. But Is It Safe, Parents Wonder

Schools and colleges will most likely reopen across India from August 15, Union HRD Minister Ramesh Nishank Pokhriyal recently revealed an interview.

Schools and colleges across the country were shut down in mid-March when the nationwide lockdown started to contain the cases of coronavirus. As the time for new sessions draws closer, many parents have indeed been wondering when will schools reopen in India.

“We are trying to get declared all the results from the examinations this session by August 15. This means those exams which have already taken place before and those which are taking place now,” Pokhriyal told BBC Hindi.

While most schools are conducting online classes currently, should school reopen after lockdown, all the institutions will have to prepare and follow the guidelines of sanitation, and physical distancing norms.

What You Should Know

• HRD Ministry says that schools, colleges and other educational institutions may reopen most probably after August 15.
• We are trying to get declared all the results from the examinations this session by August 15: Union HRD Minister Ramesh Nishank Pokhriyal.
• Parents have expressed concerns over the wellbeing of children following the news.

The Haryana government has already declared reopening of schools from next month– in phases. Notably, in the first phase, classes 10-12 would begin in July in the state and then gradually classes for standards 6-9 will commence, and in the last phase, classes 1-5 would begin, Education minister Kanwar Pal said.

India has almost 25 crore school students from Classes 1 to 12, according to The Hindu. They study in 15.5 lakh schools, of which 70 percent are run by the Central and State governments.

READ: Kerala: Girl Who Climbed Rooftop To Attend Online Classes Gets High Speed Internet

Parents speak up

Previously, over two lakh Indian parents based in Bengaluru started an online petition on Change.org saying that they will not send their children to schools until a vaccine is ready. It was reported earlier that the state of Karnataka was considering reopening the schools in July.  “It is like playing with fire when we ought to douse it with full force. The parents should fight against this stupidity with tooth and nail, not a single child to be sent to the schools for their own safety. If schools claim they are doing a good job via virtual learning, why not continue it for the rest of the academic year?,” one parent told Metro Saga.

Quarantine protocols, necessary hygiene measures have reportedly been suggested.

“These are unprecedented times and they need an entirely new perspective toward how we approach a problem, which in this case is ensuring learning for our young children does not hit a roadblock,” co-founder and chief executive officer of EuroKids Prajodh Rajan said. “Considering that the physical environment today is not conducive and safe for young children, it’s imperative that learning moves from on-ground classrooms to a digital environment where our students are interacting with their teachers and classmates, from the safety of their own homes.”

Feature Image Credit: The Policy Times

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