School Reopening News, Updates | Photo credit: iStock Images
The Uttarakhand government has announced the decision to close 84 schools in 5 blocks within 5 days of the schools reopening on November 2. The decision was made after 80 teachers in the recently reopened schools were determined to be COVID19 positive. Andhra Pradesh, where schools have also recently reopened, has also reported 869 teachers tested positive. The AP, however, has yet to order the schools closed.
The Uttarakhand government, on the other hand, has quickly ordered schools to be closed again in the region where the cases were identified. However, this is only for the locals of the Pauri district of the Garhwal division. State Health Secretary Amit Negi has asked the district magistrates of all 13 districts to conduct COVID19 testing of in-service school teachers.
Apart from Uttarakhand, many other states like Assam and Andhra Pradesh had also reopened schools since November 2. Andhra Pradesh has 829 positive cases among teachers. However, the government has not decided to close the schools again. Mizoram had opened its schools in October but closed them again after a rise in locally transmitted infections.
However, authorities have stated that the increase in reported cases is not due to the reopening of schools. Rather, cases have arisen after teachers were evaluated why schools needed to be reopened.
Andhra authorities had collected the data from teachers and students at 2 p.m. Thursday. According to the figures, 1.17 percent of 70,790 teachers were found to be infected. Also, in terms of students, only about 0.6% of the students out of 95,763 were infected.
“There is an encouraging and positive response from students and teachers to continue teaching-learning activity in schools,” said Commissioner of School Education Vadrevu Chinna Veerabhadrudu.
Reopen schools too soon?
The alarming trend of increased infections among teachers and students raises concerns and questions about whether states have rushed to reopen their schools. Many states like Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Delhi have not yet decided to reopen schools. The trend, in turn, can justify the same.
On the other hand, the fact that schools were reopened actually spurred teacher and student testing, which in turn raised awareness about the spread of the infection. Experts may point out that reopening schools could, in fact, raise awareness, as well as find infected people to reduce the spread.
Strike a balance
The COVID19 pandemic, although fortunately showing signs of decline, is still a reality in the country. The reopening of schools presents a greater risk of increasing the infection rate. The high number of cases reported by Uttarakhand and Andhra Pradesh highlights the possibility of a massive spread.
However, given the greater disparity, the large number of students who depend on schools for adequate nutrition (midday meals) is cause for concern. Furthermore, online learning, while effective and “safe”, can hardly replace learning in the classroom. Additionally, health concerns, especially the mental well-being of students, is a concern that must be addressed and considered.
As such, finding a balance and safe ways to reopen schools is the need of the moment. Authorities must make sure to conduct tests before schools reopen. In addition, a hybrid online and offline teaching system for the pandemic needs to be refined.
