Why are you asking us for our consent, ask furious parents

A deserted municipal school in Grant Road. Schools have been told to manage sanitisation and cleaning by themselves. File pic

Even as the Maharashtra government issued guidelines for the reopening of schools for standards IX-XII November 23 onwards, parents said on Tuesday that they will not send their kids to school at all. They questioned if their consent would absolve schools of their responsibility towards children. Teachers, on the other hand, said that the government seems to have shrugged its responsibility and put the complete onus for preparation on schools. Among the SOPs issued, is that staff and children will need to get tested for COVID before schools
reopen.

Even as the government's notification to reopen schools on November 23 came, there was major opposition to the plan from parents and schools on Tuesday.

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While parents were worried about the risk and giving consent to send their children to school, the teachers and schools felt that the government has put the onus for all preparations on them.

Parents say they can't risk their kids bringing the infection home. REPRESENTATION PIC/GETTY IMAGES

"The government has issued guidelines, but clearly shrugged the responsibility off their shoulders. The government should have played an important role in providing schools with financial and health services. This blanket reopening is too sudden, they should have reopened schools slowly," said Prashant Redij, secretary, Mumbai School Principals' Association.

Shivnath Darade, secretary of the Mumbai Division of Maharashtra Teachers Association, said, "All teachers have been asked to undergo a COVID test but the government is not providing any help for that. Parents have already started raising objections over consent in writing by questioning whether it means that the school will take no responsibility for kids' well-being."

Not worth the risk

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Parents were vehemently opposed to the idea of school amid a pandemic. "I will not send my child to school until a vaccine is available. I do not mind if he loses an academic year. If he gets COVID, he is bound to suffer the consequences for life as it is clear that there are post-COVID complications. Also, my mother is over 85 years old. She too will be in danger if my child brings the infection home," Prasad Tulaskar, a parent from Dadar.

Prasad Tulaskar, parent

"It is also important to note that students in standards IX to XII are older kids whom we have managed to restrain inside our houses until now. Once they get a legitimate reason to go out, as parents, how will we keep tabs on whether they are following all safety protocols? Schools may take care inside premises but what about outside while commuting to the school?" added Tulaskar.

Vani Gala, a parent from Kandivali, said, "Is this the government's way of letting school managements take huge amounts of fees from parents? Only four hours of school for just three subjects, with the rest being taught online is clearly a plan beyond understanding. Why not continue teaching all subjects online? Moreover, why should parents provide consent? Then who is taking responsibility for these children? There are so many questions to this than solutions."

Parents prefer continuing with online classes than even a few hours of school. REPRESENTATION PIC/GETTY IMAGES

Some govt SOPs include

• Six-feet distance between seats
• Staggered timings, timetables
• Rotational attendance/odd-even formula/two shifts to reduce crowd
• Shifting PTA meetings online

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