Students’ dilemma is…
Initially, parents and children would look forward to ‘back to school’ sales at shopping malls, where they would collectively buy stationery items and collect uniforms from tailors. But thanks to the pandemic, this part of their life has been brought to a standstill. From the previous year, schools and colleges have been shut, since the lockdown had been imposed in April.
As per the recent announcement stated by the Tamil Nadu government, schools are likely to reopen by Sept 1, 2021, for Grades 9–12. Complying with COVID protocols and allowing students with complete vaccination to be the drill, every teaching and non-teaching staff is required to be present. Allowing 50% capacity, not many students are ready to settle for offline classes, leaving the comfort of their homes.
In conversation with Yoana Sarayu Ram, a Class 9 student from the Sir Mutha School in Chetpet said, “During the past one and a half years, I have created a routine for myself that I religiously follow and it is working out for me. Offline classes are going to ruin that part for me.”
After schools reopen, schools will be screening students on a daily basis, with the help of the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) team. In spite of that, students feel unsafe to get back to school, as their age group hasn’t been vaccinated as of now. And during the pandemic, cleanliness is of key importance. With this, one of the students from D.A.V. Boys Senior Secondary School in Gopalapuram said, “I doubt that my school even cleans the desks and benches.”
“I don’t feel safe either. Apart from the cleanliness, it doesn’t make sense for the government to reopen schools as of now. Even if one person is the carrier, all of us will have to get isolated,” said Vanshika Sethi, a Class 9 student from the Sir Mutha School in Chetpet.
In reference to this, Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi, the Tamil Nadu School Education Minister, said, “Our first focus is to protect students who are coming to schools. We are an ingredient to start with Classes 9 to 12. We are also hearing that the 3rd or 4th wave might hit, so we are concentrating on facing that as well. CM has said that we can start schools first, based on ‘Medical Experts’ opinion.”
He further added that the previous government had issued an SOP that would be reviewed to assess if there is anything new coming up. The SOPs will be issued to every school and will be reviewed after.
Apart from students, parents have equally mixed reactions to sending their children to school. While some parents are bothered about their child’s immunity levels, the rest are planning to figure out the situation, as it comes. In an article published by The Print in March 2021, they mentioned a survey performed in New Delhi by a Bengaluru-based pre-school and daycare centre, KLAY. It stated that about 85% of the parents across the country are willing to send their children to school. This survey was conducted in 2 phases, i.e., Nov 2020 and Feb 2021.
In the first phase, around 53% of the parents were unwilling to send their children to the school, while it took a complete turn during the second phase. There is a possible shift in the attitude of parents towards sending their children, but are the students ready?
At this rate, not only will schools have less attendance, but it will take time for children to adapt themselves to an offline mode of schooling. And, it is a not-so-merry situation of meeting friends and eating at school canteens during breaks, it is about their safety and concern.
With this being said, only time can tell if schools will reopen and what the student turnout might be.
