Reopening of Schools: Is the State Government’s move prudent?
Even as Karnataka is seeing a rapid increase in the number of coronavirus cases, the state government has taken a major step with respect to reopening of schools, the second major move after its announcement to conduct SSLC examinations. According to government sources, the state government has prepared a draft timetable to reopen schools in a phased manner from July 1. This decision has elicited widespread reactions, from those supporting and opposing the move. Experts, including those in the health sector, have not adopted a clear stance on this. By relaxing the restrictions on running malls, hotels, and public buses to operate, it is obvious that the state government is expecting the people to take onus on their health and take precautionary measures. It would be difficult, however, to expect the same sense of responsibility and awareness among school children to impose self-regulation and restrict their movements.
Initially, when the Corona virus had just entered the country and people hardly had any information or awareness about the virus, it was the government that created fear psychosis in the minds of the public. The government made the lives of the common man hell by imposing a complete lockdown when the number of those infected was in single digit. Today, when the number has increased manifold, the government has no choice but to relax the lockdown restrictions. It is possible that the restrictions would be completely relaxed in July, but it doesn’t mean that everything will be hunky dory thereafter. It only means increased responsibility on the people and society at large.
The government while allowing schools to reopen may ask them to take precautionary measures and follow a set of restrictions. But whether these restrictions can be implemented in schools is the moot point. The government’s move has created anxiety among a majority of parents. It’s difficult for parents to not send their children to school once it reopens. In this age of competition, parents won’t be prepared to put the future of their children in jeopardy. At the same time, they would be apprehensive about the health of their children as it will be difficult for them to completely trust the schools about protecting their children against the virus.
This move has also raised several pertinent questions. The state has imposed restrictions on the number of passengers in buses. Has it imposed or can it impose similar restrictions on schools to allow only a certain number of children? Many schools seat an average of five children on a single bench. In the background of Corona and social distancing, this number has to be reduced to about three children who can be seated on a bench. It doesn’t seem practical at this point to expect schools to be prepared to do so. Let’s assume that schools prepare to follow social distancing. What then happens if all children cannot be admitted to schools due to this factor? To comply with the regulations, private schools would then be forced to increase the fees and probably admit only those children who can pay donations. This could also lead to widespread corruption.
School transportation is another issue altogether which the government cannot claim ignorance of. Regardless of the laws of transportation, children are crammed into vans and transported to schools. Can schools ensure that only one child occupies a seat and doesn’t share his seat with others? Is it even practical to have such an expectation? As it is, transportation fee is a huge burden on parents. On the pretext of social distancing, if school vans reduce the number of students, parents would be forced to pay double the fee to school managements to accommodate their children.
Keeping aside all these issues, let’s look at the basic facilities in schools. There are many schools that don’t even provide proper toilets or drinking water facilities to children, both in urban and rural areas. The state of government schools in rural areas, especially, is pathetic and it would be beyond the capacity of such schools to provide masks or hand sanitizers to students . If parents choose not to send their children to such government schools, their children would be deprived of education.
We must also remember that the month of July is the beginning of the rainy season during which diseases such as malaria, dengue, and other diseases spread. In the midst of changing weather conditions and with the threat of Corona virus looming large, children falling sick would lead to anxiety among parents. And even if one child is infected with the Corona virus, it will have an impact on the entire school. In such a situation, the entire class to which the child belongs must be tested and quarantined. What would then be the impact of all this on children’s education? School education is not only about books; it includes play, sport, cultural events, and other creative activities and explorations that make it difficult for schools and children to adhere to social distancing.
The state government should therefore answer why the stringent measures imposed on malls, buses, supermarkets are not applicable to schools. If they are applicable to schools, the government should make it clear how it is going to address the issues listed above. It is alleged that the state government has taken the hasty decision to reopen schools buckling under pressure from institutions that have made education a commercial enterprise. These allegations cannot be dismissed as totally false. When the entire country could be shut down for a few months, what’s the worst that can happen if schools reopen a few months late? Given the challenges, it is inevitable for schools to remain shut for at least two months. Before permitting schools to reopen, the government should first confirm that schools have taken all precautionary measures and should not hesitate to act against schools that flout the norms. Until such time, the government should immediately withdraw any move to reopen schools on July 1st and take a decision only after consulting experts.
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“Voters were intimidated, threatened,” alleges Uttar Pradesh Cong Chief Ajay Rai
Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Congress President Ajay Rai on Saturday alleged that the voters were intimidated and threatened by the ruling BJP regime. Rai's remarks came as counting for nine Assembly constituencies in Uttar Pradesh shows a strong performance by the BJP and its ally, the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD).
“It was already decided in UP that the BJP is fighting the elections with the help of its machinery. The result of that has come out. All the machinery of the government, from police to administration, was deployed. Voters were intimidated and threatened. This is a complete murder of democracy,” Rai said, as reported by Hindustan Times.
According to latest ECI trends the BJP and its ally, the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) is performing strongly. Out of the nine Assembly constituencies where bypolls were held, the BJP is leading in five seats—Kundarki, Khair, Ghaziabad, Phulpur, and Majhawan. Its ally, the RLD, is ahead in Meerapur. The Samajwadi Party (SP), however, is not far behind, leading in three constituencies: Karhal, Katehari, and Sisamau.
