REOPENING OF SCHOOLS AFTER LOCKDOWN - JHARKHAND STORY
- Arundhati
- Dec 31, 2020
- 2 min read
The most significant step of unlocking is the decision of reopening schools and colleges. Since mid-march schools and colleges across the country have been closed. With the Ministry of Health and Family welfare releasing an SOP for reopening of schools in phases, though the parents, students, and teachers remain uncertain partial opening of schools had begun.
WHEN ARE SCHOOL OPENING?
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centre permitted the reopening of schools in phases after October 15 and allowed the timing and pattern of reopening to be decided by the state government.
The government of Jharkhand allowed schools outside containment zones to reopen for standards 10 and 12 from December 21. Restarting of classes will also begin in medical and dental colleges across the state, nursing institutes with other educational institutions remaining shut as per the COVID-19 guidelines issued by Chief Secretary Sukhdev Singh.
SOP FOR REOPENING
Ensuring proper cleaning and sanitation facilities in the school or college.
Formation of different task teams such as Emergency Care Support/Response team.
Seating plan.
Ensuring social distancing at the entry and exit points of the institutes.
Ensuring continuous maintenance and monitoring of cleanliness and hygienic conditions in and around school premises.
Schools SOPs based on guidelines from States/UTs.
Displaying posters/messages/stickers and signage at appropriate places in the school reminding students about maintain physical/social distancing.
Having flexible, staggered, and reduced timings planned for different classes.
Schools should not undertake school events where physical/social distancing is not possible.
Parent’s/Guardian’s consent should be taken before their child/ward begins attending classes.
THE REALITY
The reality gives a lot of challenges and questions that must be answered before the reopening of schools in the new post-pandemic world.
How will the children come to school? Does the transportation facilities are safe yet? Or should they travel by their own means?
In school or college, one must maintain proper hygiene guidelines:
washing hands, wearing masks, and social distancing. This is to be monitored by the school or college officials, but with less staff to begin with how this can be achieved?
Large indoor spaces are required to accommodate the whole class while social distancing. Outside the class broad corridors, safe restrooms, hygiene cafeteria, and laboratories are required. How will the school or college officials of small districts manage them with a handful of resources, to begin with?
Though there cannot be an easy answer for all the possible queries one can make it of how the pandemic has harmed the education sector. There won’t be a single solution for everything. The situation demands equal responsibility and coordination from parents, teachers, students, and other staff. This is the new normal.
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