“Send your children to school with courage. It will be another home for children. Just like you take care of them at home, we will take care of them in schools, ”Minister of Primary and Secondary Education S Suresh Kumar told parents on Thursday.
The minister said they pushed the restart date forward from January 4 to January 1 and expected at least 50% attendance on the first day. “The teachers and the SDMC are happy to welcome the children, with rangoli, flowers and a band in some cases,” he said.
“I asked the teachers to talk to the children on the first day. They return after several months. They should be taught about the Covid protocol. This is not a prestigious issue for the government, it is our commitment. In the same way that we conducted the SSLC and PUC exams, we are now seeking the cooperation of all departments – health, transportation, rural development, and municipal corporations – to reopen schools, ”he said.
The decision on the reopening of classes 11 and 9 will be made before January 15, says the minister
Students are eager to get back to campus. For example, Vijay Kumar C, a tenth grader from the government high school, Kalkere, East Bengaluru, told TOI: “It was so boring all these months. Classes were being held online, but they weren’t interesting. One person will raise their hand and speak, while the rest of us will just watch. ”
However, apprehensions are rife. “Concern about the new strain worries some schools. We will have to wait and watch the attendance rate, ”said D Sashi Kumar, secretary of the Karnataka Association of Primary and Secondary School Administrations.
Parents are very worried
Parents are also concerned. “Transportation becomes a problem since both of the family are working. We cannot pick up and drop off our daughter every day and public transport is not safe, ”said a father in South Bengaluru.
The fact that private schools have asked parents to take responsibility for the safety of children has caused resentment among parents.
The minister said the decision on the reopening of classes 11 and 9 will be made on January 15, after closely monitoring the situation and depending on the advice of the Technical Advisory Committee.
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