State Covid-19 task force in doubts over reopening of city schools for all ages

While many parents continue to demand reopening of schools for Stds IVII the state COVID19 task force on Monday hit a roadblock with members divided over whether to resume classes for primary students and keep campuses open for the seniors At a meeting held with the CM a few advised closing schools until vaccination starts for children citing the Omicron threat Others suggested waiting three months before taking any decisionWill schools reopen from December 15 amid an increase in the number of Omicron cases across the staterdquo ask parents as well managements in the cityA Std I student attends online classes at her home in Dadar File picAtul KambleThe state education department had announced resuming inperson classes for students of Stds I to VII from December 1 However the reopening was deferred to December 15 in Mumbai and a few other urban areas amid the threat of Omicronthe new variant of novel CoronavirusParents had been eagerly waiting to send their children to school after over a year of online learning The schools in the city which were preparing to welcome their primary students from December 15 are now awaiting clarityldquoWith increasing concerns and changing restrictions around Omicron we want to wait and watch before finally beginning the reopening preparationsrdquo said the principal of a governmentaided state board school in the eastern suburbsStudents head to their classrooms at a Sion school File picSuresh KarkeraSchools want to be sure of reopening as it involves costs for complete sanitisation of the premises and for making other arrangements Most of them are currently in the process of conducting polls to understand parentsrsquo opinionsldquoIn most cases parents who were more than willing to send their wards back on campus are now confused because of the current COVID19 situation They want to wait for a few more days for further clarity on the new variant Moreover schools will now close for Christmas holidays What is the point of reopening now in Decemberrdquo asked the principal of another school from south MumbaiHowever there is no confusion among the nonstate board schools They have decided against reopening in December as they are currently conducting board examinationsAmid the confusion there are parents who are getting impatient with the delay in reopening ldquoThey are our children If we are consenting then nobody else should stop reopening classes Children have been caged inside homes for too long nowrdquo said a parent Annoyed at the delay parents plan to meet the BMC commissioner and minister Aaditya Thackeray who had earlier listened to their concernsAn official from the school education department at Mantralaya told midday ldquoWe have already allowed reopening and have issued SOPs Now the decision is in the hands of local civic bodies based on the COVID19 condition in their jurisdiction However as of today no civic body has suggested any further postponementrdquoDec 15Day schools are scheduled to reopen for Stds IVIITask force divided on physical schoolingAmbiguity over whether or not to continue physical schooling continues as the state task force members remain divided on it at the weekly meeting According to a few members with Omicron cases being detected in the state and across the country it is advisable to keep physical schooling on hold till vaccination for children gets rolled outA few members felt that it is too early to decide on discontinuing physical schooling ldquoWe should wait for the next three months and decide on whether or not to stop physical schooling In the coming weeks we will have a better idea on where the cases are goingrdquo said a task force member who didnrsquot wish to be namedThe final advisory decision will be taken by the state paediatric task force which will be meeting on Tuesday However state paediatric task force members while speaking to midday said physical schooling should continue by following the guidelines laid down by them and following COVID19 appropriate behaviourldquoSuch variants will keep coming We should not stop physical schoolingrdquo said a paediatric task force member