21 August,2020 06:20 AM IST | Mumbai | Pallavi Smart
Doctors and health workers of the BMC test people at the Transit Camp Municipal School-turned-quarantine centre at Dharavi. Pic /Suresh Karkera
Many schools in the city that were used as quarantine centres for COVID-19 patients are now being vacated. As the number of patients is stablising, of the total 74 schools (BMC-run and government aided) which were converted into quarantine centres, 34 have been vacated. But teachers and other staff have expressed concerns over whether the schools will be thoroughly sanitised.
It has been almost five months since several city schools were converted into quarantine facilities. Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)-run schools and government aided schools were the most used structures for this purpose. The civic body is now working on cleaning and sanitising these structures.
"Almost half of the total schools taken to convert into quarantine centres have been freed. We are now working on the complete sanitisation of all these schools and then handing them over to the school managements," said BMC Education Officer Mahesh Palkar.
Teachers have pointed out that it is important for the BMC to take certain steps to ensure that parents' trust is regained. "They are working on sanitisation of the schools, but it is very important for all to know that all required aspects were taken care of during this. The proper process of sanitisation should be revealed," said a teacher.
BMC staff prepare the quarantine centre at the Transit Camp Municipal school, Dharavi. PIC/Pradeep Dhivar
Another teacher pointed out, "Some private aided schools were taken up by the civic body as quarantine centres. Their electricity and water bills should be paid by BMC for these months, besides the sanitisation."
"Once these schools open for classes, more than teachers, it will be parents of students who will be worried as you cannot expect children to follow all the safety instructions. We hope that BMC sanitises these structures multiple times before they are declared safe. Moreover, it is also important that each such school has a board put up outside it by the BMC, stating the day it was freed and how many times was it sanitized, etc. So if the civic body puts these details in writing, parents and teachers will have the confidence to return to schools," said Jalindar Sarode, General Secretary of Shikshak Bharati, a teachers' organisation.
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