Inspired by parents in Mumbai, Kolkata to start movement to get govt to reopen schools for primary students

Parents from around the country seem to have taken inspiration from parents in Mumbai in trying to get the government to reopen schools for primary students. A similar initiative has now been taken up by parents in Kolkata, who have raised concerns about the children staying away from schools for too long.

The Maharashtra state Cabinet on Thursday decided to start in-person classes for all classes from December 1

The Maharashtra state Cabinet on Thursday decided to start in-person classes for all classes from December 1. Even as schools in the city are likely to take some more time to prepare and plan for the safe return of the students to the campus, the decision is a major relief for lakhs of parents who have been waiting for their children to return to normalcy. This was a fruit of a major social media movement #openmumbaischoolsnow started by a few parents in Mumbai which was later joined by others. And the success of this movement has definitely made a noise. The focus has now shifted to reopening of pre-primary sections of schools which was not included in Thursday's cabinet decision.

Ragini Agarwal, a parent from Kolkata

"We have been following up this online movement for some time now. The way the issues were brought forward on social media by parents and the way authorities were persuaded is really commendable. The result is in front of us now that the government has allowed reopening. It would be great if a similar movement yields a similar result here in Kolkata too where schools have reopened for offline learning only for Std IX and above," said Ragini Agarwal, a parent from Kolkata who got in touch with the Mumbai group of parents to initiate a similar movement there.

Agarwal, a mother of two, said her younger child is still very young but the older one, aged five, does not have any school experience. "Continuing education online in front of a computer screen is not really a great option in the formative age. Children are required to get back to normalcy," she said.
The initiative - #openkolkataschoolsnow - describes itself as a desperate attempt to aid the opening of Kolkata schools and its social media handle also mentions how it took inspiration from the movement in Mumbai.