Following demands from various quarters, particularly parents, the Union Health Ministry is working on options for opening schools with Covid appropriate norms and may soon issue an advisory to States in this regard.
“The Government is working on some model to open the schools due to increasing demands by parents. The Ministry has already asked its expert team to look into all the options for opening schools,” sources in the Ministry said.
There has been increased pressure on the Government from parents and schools to reopen education facilities as the number of Covid-19 cases in India is on the decline.
Some States and Union Territories have already announced the reopening of schools for Classes 10 to 12 with the condition that students between the age group 15 to 18 can attend offline classes only if they had had at least one dose of vaccination. All staff and students above 18 must be vaccinated with both doses. Various global agencies like UNICEF and World Bank too have called upon the Governments to take steps in this direction.
UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore said in a statement on Friday “As the Omicron variant of Covid-19 continues its spread all over the world, we urge Governments to do everything in their power to keep it from further disrupting children’s education.
“Keep schools open. An estimated 616 million children are currently affected by full or partial school closures. We know that mitigation measures help keep schools open. We also know that investments in digital connectivity can help us make sure that no child is left behind.”
“We need bold action to enable every child to return to school. This includes providing comprehensive support with a particular focus on marginalized children in each community, such as catch-up classes, mental health and nutrition support, protection and other key services,” said Fore.
World Bank’s global education director Jaime Saavendra echoed similar views saying that keeping schools closed in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic was not justified, and that school closures should be the last resort.
“There is no relation between opening schools and the spread of coronavirus. There is no evidence linking the two and there is no justification now to keep the schools closed,” Saavedra said in an interview from Washington adding it does not make sense to keep restaurants, bars and shopping malls open and keep schools closed. There is no excuse.
Lakshya Chhabaria, President of Affordable Private Schools Association (APSA), too wrote to the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, Anil Baijal, seeking reopening of schools for all in the national capital at the earliest. “When Delhi government can allow other activities then why are school students being discriminated against? Schools are closed since March 2020 and this has hampered the mental and physical development of impressionable minds. Also, examinations are just months away. In such a scenario, how will the students be ready for the future.”
"When Delhi government can allow other activities then why are school students being discriminated against? Schools are closed since March 2020 and this has hampered mental and physical development of the impressionable minds. Also examinations are just months away. In such a scenario, how will the students be ready for the future," said Chhabaria.
