Jamshedpur, Aug 3: Following Government’s order, Jamshedpur schools are reopening from August 5 with all Covid-19 safety protocols in place. After much deliberation, it was decided that physical classes would be started for Classes 9 to 12 at first. Children will be called in for four hours only.
B Chandrashekharan, general secretary of Jamshedpur Unaided Private English Schools, (JUPES) said the local administration has issued a notification for the reopening of the schools. The schools will start functioning from August 5.
Students will attend school following all the Covid-19 guidelines. Since all board exam results are out, admissions for Classes 11 can start.
Schools in the city have been shut in India since March 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. A few of the states resumed normal classes after September 2020. However, a surge arrived in the Covid-19 cases which again forced schools to close and continue studies in the online mode.
Several IIT professors, doctors, and parents had written an open letter to the CM demanding for schools to be reopened.
All the schools have been asked to strictly follow government guidelines while allowing students to enter the school. Sitting arrangements will be such that there will be minimum distance between two students. If needed each class will be divided into batches. It will be mandatory for all to use masks or face shields. All efforts will be made to record classroom teachings. The recordings will be shared among students who fail to attend classes.
An official said that it’s time for the schools to reopen because online classes can never be a substitute for a normal classroom for a very long time. Initially, when the online classes commenced, students attended them enthusiastically and sincerely. But now that it’s already been more than six months of staring at the computer screen, students are losing interest, which is resulting in low attendance. Moreover, online classes are only for a privileged few. There are millions of children in rural areas, who are from poor families. They really rely on the schools for the midday meals that they get.
A student said that of course, physical classes are far better than virtual classes but not at the cost of lives. Moreover, small children are the most vulnerable and may not follow the safety norms properly. Eventually, this will help the virus infect more and more people.