As January 4, the date set by local authorities for the reopening of schools in Pune, approaches, many schools in the city are grappling with the challenges of reopening amid a pandemic.
While sanitation measures have been stepped up and physical distancing rules are being developed, school authorities are concerned about the distribution of the workforce and the online and offline distribution of students because only a few parents have agreed to send to students to school.
Anvit Pathak, director of Millenium School, said that only the parents of 300 students in classes IX through XII, out of a total of more than 500, completed the online consent forms.
“I think it is going to be a dynamic situation with the numbers fluctuating from week to week. So, we have decided to start classes IX to XII for three hours a day every other day. We will start with class XII, then X, then class X1 and then IX, sequentially, with a little space in between for students and staff to adjust the processes. There will be a considerable number of students who will opt for online classes and we will have to account for that as well. Since our staff is limited for online and offline classes, we have to calculate the odds, ”he said.
But some schools have been preparing parents for a while. “Since March, we have been meeting regularly with representatives from the PTA. We had decided that once the government gives the go-ahead, depending on the health situation, we will take a call. To alleviate parents’ fears regarding sanitary measures, we sent them a short video about safety measures implemented during transportation and at school. After that, 90 percent of the parents sent positive consent forms. So we have decided to start classes for XII, as 30 percent of their grades depend on practical assessment and we cannot prepare them for it online, ”said Praneet Mungali, administrator of the Sanskriti School.
But even as schools and colleges have taken a number of steps, including staff training, signs of social distancing, sanitation measures, preparing a rotation of teachers and students to administer classroom lectures in alternate days, many worries remain.
Dr. Gulshan Gidwani, Principal of St Mira’s College, pointed out problems beyond classroom lectures once students are on campus.
“Our university strength is 120 students per class, so we have decided to allow 40 students at a time per classroom. Even if that happens, there will be more than 500 students on campus. Two minutes per student are required to check temperature, sanitize, and log book entry. We have specially assigned six employees for this and created six different points at the point of entry, but even then each staff member will spend 2 hours on this exercise every day. Additionally, our teaching staff is limited. Managing the academic schedule so that only a third of the students enter at a time, as well as completing the study program, will be a challenge, ”he said.
One of the solutions is to keep the classes online while the class is taught offline, the educators said.
Dr Aanieetaa Vaissnava, director of Orchids The International School in Nigdi, which will reopen for IX and X, said: “While we follow all the protocols mentioned by the government, such as temperature controls and disinfection, we have installed glass screens in each desk and label them so that each student sits at their designated desk. We have also modified our water taps to floor-standing taps, so that students do not touch the taps with their hands, reducing the risk of contamination. Signs and arrows have been installed to ensure discipline is maintained in terms of physical distancing. ”
However, many schools said they will not reopen at all.
“Most of the parents have not given their consent and that is why from now on, the school will not reopen. Currently, school holidays are in progress, maybe after that, if consent comes, the school can reopen, ”said Markus Deshmukh, spokesman for Bishops School.
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