Dwindling Covid-19 cases might have brought some respite to the state administration, but most of the parents of city-based school students are apparently apprehensive of sending their wards to attend classes physically in the schools, thanks to the virulence of the foreign virus…
Bhubaneswar: Even though the School and Mass Education department is gearing up to reopen schools, especially preparing to resume classes for Class IX to XII students from November 16, most of the city parents are nervous and apparently not ready to send their children to schools amid Covid-19 pandemic. Orissa POST took the reactions of the parents of several schools in the city.
Smita Kanungo, mother of a Class X student at DAV Public School, said, “We aren’t ready to send our children to school until the vaccine for Covid-19 is available. The situation is still critical and we can’t risk our kids’ lives sending students to schools. Even though precautions would be taken and premises are sanitised, there is still risk of infection during travel or from school teachers or anyone else who he/she would come in contact with. This much of time has already passed and we can extend the academic year to next year. We want the schools reduce the syllabus and make the exam a little flexible in terms of evaluation so that students feel less pressured.”
Pallavi Priya Jain, mother of a Class X Loyola School student, said, “I can’t afford to take the risk of sending my child to school. The pandemic is still at a critical stage. We can’t sign any document (indemnity) saying that the school authorities won’t be held responsible if the kids get infected. We hope that the school authorities and the government extend the dates of all examinations.
Baijayenti Sahoo, parent of a DAV School student, said, “Education has suffered a lot as classes have remained suspended for the last seven months. If the school is ready to reopen with all precautionary measures for safety of students, we should send our kids. For, online teaching is not a foolproof measure to ensure quality teaching. My children are facing difficulties during online classes and have in half-yearly exams.
Priyanka Singhdeo, mother of a student of KIIT International School, said, “No… I don’t think it would be wise to send our kids to schools at this moment. They are not matured enough to take all necessary precautions to keep the deadly virus at bay. If malls and markets are opening, it is for the reason that the economy needs to bounce back from the slump and the issue of unemployment is addressed. But that does not mean the pandemic is over. And kids are managing it well with online studies. They have accepted it as a new normal. We have elders at our home who are vulnerable to the deadly virus. Though academic progress is not very remarkable, we as parents cannot accept any kind of negative repercussion on their health. So it’s better to avoid schools now.”
Purna Chandra Senapati, father of a Class X student of Gopabandhu High School in Capital city, said, “Education is very much necessary. There is no substitute to classroom teaching. I will send my ward to school and I think the government would take necessary measures before reopening the school. We must trust the government.”
Arun Swain, parent of a Saraswati Sishu Vidya Mandir student, however, said, “Until the government takes full responsibility of the safety of all the students, we will not send our children to school. At one point, the government is saying that Covid cases will rise during winter and on the other it is trying to put the kids at risk.”
Prasanna Kumar Bisoi, a parent and the co-chairman of Odisha Parents’ Federation, stated that resumption of classes for Class X and XII students is okay as their board exams would be held next year. If everything goes well, Classes IX and XI could be resumed with a maximum of 20 students per class to ensure distancing, he said. “The government should provide masks, other sanitary kits and equipment to the schools,” Bisoi added.
Arindam Ganguly, OP