Parents are having to make the decision on whether to send their children back to school or possibly drop the year.
Twelve-year-old Nakshatra* has been cooped up at home ever since the schools closed due to the spread of coronavirus in Tamil Nadu in March. For the past five months, she has always stayed indoors with her younger brother, and has been advising everyone to stay indoors and follow precautions. But, her fears about coronavirus spread intensified when her neighbour tested positive. She refrained from going for small walks even in the corridors, but now suddenly there are rumours doing the rounds that her school will reopen by next month and that she should attend.
She asks her parents, “What is more important — school or health?”
Nakshatra’s parents, Nivas* and Sangeetha*, have decided not to send their children to school even if the government allows schools to be reopened. “The coronavirus spread is more now than in March so we are very much concerned about the health of our children. We do not want to take the risk of sending our children to school amid the pandemic. We are mulling making Nakshatra and my son skip physical classes till the vaccines are available,” says Sangeetha.
The debate on reopening schools started across the country after the Centre said that students between Class 9 and Class 12 can voluntarily attend school. A Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Tuesday said that students of Class 9 and Class 12 can voluntarily attend classes from September 21 for taking guidance from teachers.
On the other hand, the Tamil Nadu government is yet to decide on the matter. On Wednesday, Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami said, “The decision of reopening schools will be taken based on the preparedness of the parents. The infection has come down, but the decision will be based on the mindset of the parents.”
Many parents in urban areas are opposed to the idea of starting schools and educational institutions next month. Parents opine that the government should wait until vaccines are launched to control the spread of COVID-19.
Like Nakshatra’s parents, Ram’s* mother, Lakshmi, has decided not to send him to school. “Nothing will happen if he skips third standard. I’ll send him only by January, and that too only if cases reduce,” she says.
“Even if they stop online classes and all sessions are only in person, I do not want to send Ram to school. I spoke to many parents of students in Ram’s class, and they are also against reopening the school. I don’t even know how schools will ensure precautions,” she adds.
She wondered why the governments are rushing to open schools when India is yet to flatten the curve.
Parents of children in rural areas, tribal hamlets differ
Parents from rural areas and tribal hamlets differ with the opinion because coronavirus cases are almost nil in their regions.
Selvi, a mother of two school-going children from Minjur, Thiruvallur, says that her kids have started to forget things they studied since they have been home for the past five months.
“The attention of my children only goes to mobile phones and television. We are making them do homework given by teachers but still, it is not like the way teachers impart education. They are not memorising the lessons we teach and they have also started to forget the portions they learned already,” she says.
Selvi’s two children are studying in the first and second standard in a nearby government primary school. “The teachers should at least teach important portions and I am afraid my children will not get the interest to study again. There is no COVID-19 spread in my area so the children can attend classes by maintaining physical distancing. All the more, the primary school has less than 30 students per class,” she said.
Parents from tribal areas also voice a similar opinion. In a tribal hamlet of Coimbatore district, the mother of a high school student Valli said, “I want the government to reopen the schools since the education of the children is getting affected. We do not have electricity, so the students do not watch television for learning. The school is also not conducting any classes.”
While teachers visit the hamlet and teach the children, most teachers do not carry forward the practice. “I do want my children to lag in education. Around 15 students from here go to schools so I want them to continue their education. We do not have COVID-19 cases so we can send our children without fear,” she added.
Teacher’s view
Silambarasi, a mother and teacher in a private school in Dindigul, says that parents should not send their students to schools.
“The state and central government are playing with the life of the children. The government is unable to conduct Assembly and parliamentary sessions. This time, the Assembly is being conducted only for three days and parliament will be conducted only for a few days. If important discussions take a backseat, education can also take a backseat,” says Silambarasi.
She adds, “The state and Centre want us [teachers] to get a letter signed from the parents saying the parents are wholeheartedly sending the students to school. What are they trying to say by this? They are trying to say that they will not be responsible for the health of the children.”
Silmabarasi suggested the government declare this year as a zero education year so that students can go back to the same class next year. This is a pandemic so it’s fine to miss a year, she adds.
“There is also confusion between the state and central government, so I personally feel that parents shouldn’t sign the form and send the children to school,” she says.
*Names changed on request
Source: The News Minute