Govt gives nod for all classes to open: Parents, don’t plan your party just yet!

The state govt will revise the SOP based on the suggestions of the paediatric Covid task force and parents. Representation pic

The state Cabinet on Thursday decided to resume in-person classes for Std I to Std IV students in rural areas and Std I to Std VII students in urban areas, from December 1. Pre-primary and residential schools will remain closed until further orders. After the meeting, school education minister Varsha Gaikwad said the welcome decision was taken after consulting the health department and state's paediatric Covid-19 task force.

The government had allowed reopening of the higher standards from July-August this year in a phased manner as Covid-19 cases started declining. Schools and colleges are currently holding physical classes as per the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). "Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and my Cabinet colleagues approved the proposal," Gaikwad said. City schools, however, said they would not be able to welcome primary students from December 1, while parents demand to know why pre-primary students have been left out.

Meetings with management, parents

Gaikwad said the school education department has sought some time to reopen the schools because it wanted to consult school managements, parents and teachers on ensuring the physical wellbeing of children, especially of stds I and II, who haven't been to school in the past two academic sessions. The department has called a meeting on Friday to discuss the nitty-gritties, she said.

It's tough, but we must do it

"Making primary school students follow the protocol of wearing masks and maintaining physical distance will definitely be a difficult task, but we must also consider the experts' opinion that it was high time for children to attend schools for socialising and coping with the atmosphere on campus," said Gaikwad. She added that the SOP will be revised as per the suggestions from the task force and parents.

Varsha Gaikwad, state education minister

"Our main focus is on imparting education while ensuring good health. The teachers have been advised on handling the students with care. We will have teachers counselled yet again because this time the youngest will be attending the classes," she said, adding that the local administrative units were told to collaborate with schools, and they would be sensitised again. The minister said students should travel by school buses only if necessary. "They should be dropped in a family vehicle or walk to schools wherever possible."

Covid endemic? Not yet

While approving the decision, the Cabinet also mulled ways of ensuring public health in view of the latest waves of the Coronavirus in the European countries. It wanted the health department to reach vaccination targets in the districts where the drives are lagging. The ministers expressed the need to increase testing and adherence to Covid-19 protocol. "Europe is facing hard times, hence we also need to be very careful. The Covid-19 scare is still there, lurking over us. We must try to follow all the rules and regulations," said a note from the CM's office.

Schools prefer phased reopening

While the decision has received overwhelming welcome from across the education sector, most city schools are likely to wait to resume classes for primary students. They want to focus on planning for their safe return on campus.

"This is a very welcoming decision. However, it will not be possible to open completely for all classes from December 1. But the decision gives us the liberty to begin planning for complete reopening. Preferably, we would like to do it in phases. Though many are looking forward to beginning offline learning, planning for the safe return of students will be our first priority, starting from the consent of parents," said Prachi Ranadive, principal of Shishuvan School.

Students at MVM School in Andheri on October 4. Pic/Pradeep Dhivar

Ranadive said the semester exam is approaching at her school and classrooms have already been marked in adherence with Covid-19 protocol. "So we will have to prepare a special plan to welcome back younger classes. We need to be more cautious for Std I and Std II children who will be coming to school almost for the first time, as they were in kindergarten when the lockdown was imposed," she added. The CBSE schools are also busy with the semester exams, and will want to wait.

Principal of Balbharati School, Kalpana Dwivedi, said, "We will begin in a staggered manner, starting with Std VIII and Std VI, and then gradually head to lower classes. But after the examinations. School cannot start immediately on December 1. This will require work, like creating a timetable and managing shifts so that all children need not be called at the same time."

Kavita Nagpal, principal of Orchids-The International School, said, "The decision brings great relief to us and our students as we have been waiting for it for quite a long time now. We are all well prepared to welcome our students with safety protocols. I'm sure our students are equally excited to meet their peers and teachers in person, and it's probably the best Christmas gift they could have asked for."

Meanwhile, government schools await more clarity on the SOPs. "Currently only Std VIII-X were functioning, so schools had ample space to ensure physical distance. Now with all the classes reopening, it requires more planning, and government guidelines in this regard would be of great help," said Jaywant Kulkarni, a senior teacher from a Kurla school.

‘What about pre-primary kids?'

"We are very thankful to the government for positively looking at our requests. We are really excited that their mental wellbeing and academic growth will be finally back on track," said Gayatri Khanna Sabharwal, a parent from south Mumbai. Sabharwal was among the thousands of parents who had taken to social media recently raising concerns about keeping children away from schools for so long.

Tanya Khubchandani, another parent whose children are in both primary and pre-primary sections, said, "Both my kids are introverted and socially awkward. Reopening of schools is a great relief but it should begin for pre-primary classes, too." Radhika Nihalani, the parent of a kindergarten child, said, "While this move is greatly appreciated, it's unfair to leave the younger ones behind. It's now impossible to explain to our 4-5-year-olds that a computer screen is their school. These children don't know what school is and it's so unfortunate."

While most parents are looking forward to sending their wards to schools, there are a few concerning voices. "As long as both online and offline options continue, it should be fine. With the academic year just ending, I would like to wait for a few more days before actually sending my child back to school. Moreover, now with everyone returning to school, the crowd is definitely going to increase. It would be important to know how schools will ensure safety," said Dipali Kadav, a parent from Goregaon.

Dec 1
Day Std I-VII kids can return to school