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The government has allowed the schools to reopen at least with 50 percent capacity but it is up to the parents to decide on sending their children or not.

COVID-19 cases are roaring and it is being anticipated that a second wave is doing rounds in certain states.

Meanwhile, the economies are also crumbling across the world and the best of the minds are trying hard to get a solution for this. Amid all this, the government has allowed the reopening of schools from September 21 with an intent to not disrupt a valuable academic year of the students.

A notice was issued by the government last week which allows the schools to resume operations in a phased manner for classes 9 to 12.

But, the decision has divided the nation into two groups, while one group is supporting the decision, the other one is accusing the government of playing with the lives of many.

Also Read: Guidelines for reopening schools

What’s the government’s take on reopening schools?

Ever since the online mode of teaching started during the lockdown, it has not played the expected role in delivering quality education.

The main drawback of online education is that the teachers cannot monitor each student directly and therefore cannot assess their performance.

Moreover, the students of the rural areas who lack the basic amenities could not afford to have an internet connection and an electronic device to continue their classes. This could make them fall behind many other students who are privileged to have all the equipment.

Moreover, theoretical classes are always followed by practical or laboratory classes for a better understanding of the concepts. Studying from home does not have the privilege to access the practical education.

The students who are active in sports and want to make their career in it too are facing problems while studying from home through online classes.

However, the good thing is that the government has not mandated every student to attend the school and neither is any school forcing the students to come and join.

The decision of sending the kids to schools solely lies in the hands of parents and most of the parents are not willing to send the children to schools before the vaccine arrives to the country.

So, What’s the solution for this?

The government has introduced blended learning wherein the students can adopt either offline or online mode for their studies. This mode has the potential to become a new normal in the future.

This method allows the schools to conduct classes in a staggered manner where, only a certain number of students would physically attend the school at a time.

This way, the school authorities will be allowed to maintain social distancing in a much efficient manner.

Each student will have the opportunity to choose his or her preferred mode of study according to their availability.

The Financial Aspect

Many parents of the students have lost their jobs amid the pandemic. Now that the schools are reopening, can they afford to pay the pending fees?

However, the government says that the only agenda behind reopening the schools is to ensure that the students are not falling behind in their studies.

It completely depends on the parents as of now. If they can afford to send their children considering the financial and health factors, the schools would run.

By Gayatri Yellayi