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Reopening Schools A Way Forward

It also carries a set of resources from the ‘Samuhik Pahal’ archive relevant to the school reopening process and a set of other publicly available resources compiled by Chirag Sutar that help us respond to children’s needs in the present context.

4 mins read
Published On : 12 September 2024
Modified On : 21 November 2024
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According to the report ‘Locked Out – Emergency Report on School Education,’ published in August 2021 by development economists Reetika Khera and Jean Drèze, only 23% of children in urban areas and 8% of children in rural areas had ‘adequate online access.’ A total of 1,362 homes with at least one primary or upper primary school student were interviewed for the survey for this report. Among the states and union territories studied were Assam, Bihar, Chandigarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.

The survey’s outcome is an eye-opener. In urban regions, 76 percent of parents said their child’s reading abilities had decreased. In contrast, in rural areas, 75 percent believed their child’s reading abilities had deteriorated. Suspension of education services has had a long-term negative impact on India’s educational system.

Higher inequality and lower health outcomes are now more likely. ‘Locked Out’ emphasizes the importance of preparing the school system for a lengthy transition period for students to catch up on their education while also regaining their psychological, social, and nutritional well-being. Focusing on school renovations, safety guidelines, teacher training, and enrollment drives would only be the first steps.

Unfortunately, the extent to which children contribute to the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is still unknown. But, international bodies such as WHO maintain that threat for community spread remain. Interestingly, parents in both rural and urban India have voiced a strong desire for schools to reopen. Parents in metropolitan areas favored immediate school reopening by as much as 90%. In contrast, parents in rural areas favored it by as high as 97 percent, according to this report by Reetika Khera and Jean Drèze.

Recommendations and Guidelines

Over the past year, organizations such as UNICEF, WHO, and the Azim Premji Foundation have released guidelines that offer well-thought recommendations for school reopening. According to the UNICEF report, six main aspects should be considered during school reopening: policy, financing, safe operations, learning, and protection. To respond to the demands and situations of people living in densely populated places with limited resources, a conceptual framework for understanding and adjusting to local conditions will be necessary.

WHO’s recent guidelines are a helpful primer for schools that are reopening in India. It is recommended by this international body that children stay at home if they are ill, and that if a case is discovered at school, the student should be given rapid assistance and initiate contact tracing in consultation with the local authorities.

Minimizing spread necessitates clear communication between schools, parents and children. Basic things like correctly wearing masks, avoiding crowded places, and watching out for small children who may not comprehend the dangers of playing outside in groups, are all part of their extensive advice.

At the school level, sufficient classroom ventilation, regular disinfection of common school facilities, and vaccination for teachers and school employees are all critical. WHO also recommends that teachers complete vaccination courses according to local norms and availability.

The report ‘Schools in the Times of COVID-19,’ published by the Azim Premji Foundation (APF) in May 2020, proposes that school administration be sympathetic to COVID-19- affected families. The pandemic has severely impacted many students and families in the last year — some have lost loved ones, others have become ill, and still, others have battled to find food after losing their jobs.

After schools reopen, schools and teachers will have to take proactive measures to combat the effects of this crisis. The APF sreport also recommends that open communication routes with parents be established to reduce COVID-19-related fear and stigma.

This report recommends that classrooms be allowed to operate at only 72 percent of their full capacities, to allow for social separation with a minimum distance of six feet between each person and the avoidance of touch-based activities. Other suggestions include checking those who are cooking and serving the midday meal at the point of entry and exit, providing them with hygiene items to wash their hands, and requiring them to wear a mask at all times. Grain, beans, and other dry goods should be stocked to avoid going to the store regularly.

In dense, semi-urban, or metropolitan regions, schools with massive enrolments or a shortage of physical space can explore opening classrooms in shifts or holding assemblies on alternate days or within classrooms with due care for physical separation. The school administration could also enlist the help of district education officers in developing a school reopening plan that is tailored to the needs of the community.

In general, the APF report believes that face-to-face connection is the greatest way for pupils to learn and that students learn through a range of interactions with their peers and adults. They must collaborate, play together, and be together. They also require social and emotional support as well as mentoring. As a result, it is critical to get pupils to school, even if this goal is to be achieved through a diverse set of methods whose actual mix would depend upon the context.

Recovering from educational losses following the COVID-19 pandemic could take years of patient action. Given that schools in India have been closed for more than 18 months, education continuity is crucial. It is critical to rethink student learning outcomes, syllabi, examinations, and evaluation systems.

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Chirag Sutar
He is a Communication Manager at Wipro Foundation.
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