Mumbai schools will restart on Dec 15, but only on paper

Students maintain social distancing while entering school premises at The Green Acres Academy in Chembur. File pic

Even as the BMC officials say city schools are set to reopen for Stds I to VII from December 15, most schools are unlikely to start as they are currently shut for varied reasons, such as preparation for board exams, upcoming Christmas vacation and even lack of consent from parents. The government, however, has not issued any fresh communication on this yet.

With only two days remaining for the scheduled date of reopening, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation is yet to release any communication. The civic body had earlier postponed the reopening on December 1 in view of the Omicron variant and had stated that schools were to follow the previous guidelines once in-person classes resume for Stds I to VII.

Staffers sanitise a classroom at The Cathedral And John Connon School, Fort. File pic

BMC speaks

"Schools across the city are reopening from Wednesday as planned. Considering that there is no other order yet, the November 30 circular by the BMC continues to stand where schools for stds I to VII were to reopen from December 15," said Raju Tadvi, education officer at the BMC. He added that schools have to adhere to the already given guidelines to ensure safety of students.

Schoolspeak

However, when mid-day reached out to schools, it found out very few would actually be reopening.

The association of ICSE Schools in the city has already declared that it will not reopen on Wednesday as they are busy with ongoing board exams which are to continue till December 16. "All the ICSE Schools will decide on whether to reopen schools from December 21 or wait for the Christmas vacation, which starts from December 23," stated the letter issued by the Association of ICSE Schools on November 30 wherein it informed the civic body that they would not be participating in reopening of schools from December 15.

Schools affiliated to CBSE board too are currently holding first term board exams which are held offline in school premises. "We have to adhere to strict guidelines of social distancing and other safety measures. The arrangements were done knowing that schools do not have any more students on campus. Now in order to continue with it; it would be better to not reopen younger classes before the board exam ends," said the principal of a CBSE school from Wadala, adding that most schools are going to wait until board exams to get over before reopening for younger classes.

"It is important to note that soon after the exams, Christmas vacation will begin from December 23 and will go on until January 2. So, what is the point of reopening schools for a few days only to shut again later," questioned the principal of a school in Bandra.

Summing up the concerns by schools, Pandurang Kengar, spokesperson for Mumbai School Principals Association, said, "Government schools will have to reopen following the guidelines. However, we are seeing a diminishing inclination of parents toward sending their wards to schools. As we ask parents if they are ready to send their children to school, many are saying they want to know more about Omicron before making this decision. More so, impending Christmas vacation is playing a key role in their decision as many are out of town."

Parentspeak

Rashmi Biswas, a parent from Kandivli, was all excited to send her 8-year-old son to school, but is now concerned that there is no news from the school yet.

"I called them to understand the plan but the school has no reopening plan yet. While initially there was confusion in whether it is actually reopening, now school has decided to wait and watch as Christmas vacation is around the corner," she said.

While there are parents waiting for schools to reopen, there are also those willing to take cautious steps with Omicron news. "I will wait and see for a few days after school reopens before I send my child to school. It is important to note what the arrangements are and if those are being followed properly. So far, only some of the students were there on campus, but with the entire school reopening, the premises are expected to get crowded," said Vasanti Gawade, a parent from Dahisar.

Chembur college student tests +ve

As the city is looking forward to reopening of schools for all Stds from Wednesday, a case of student testing positive for COVID-19 has surfaced in a junior college at Chembur. This is the first such case reported in Mumbai since schools reopened for Stds VIII to XII.

A Std XII student from Swami Vivekanand Junior College tested positive last week following which the administration has suspended in-person teaching for a week. The sessions will continue online for this period.

When contacted, Principal Radha Narayan said, "The student was asymptomatic and no other student has tested positive after that. All students around the patient were tested immediately and their reports were negative. While everything is already under control, teaching has been shifted to online sessions for a week, adhering to the guidelines."