Mumbai: Keep schools open till there’s full lockdown, say parents

School students near Five Gardens. File pic

Parents are prepared to take on the fight with the government again, in case offline schooling becomes the first victim of rising Covid cases. Parents said that schools should continue in the offline mode until the entire city or state goes into lockdown and urged the government to take new recommendations from the paediatric association before making a blanket decision.

This comes after a message went viral on social media which stated that School Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad said that schools may be shut if the number of Omicron cases increase. While the minister had not made such a statement, parents are still worried, especially as schools recently reopened for all students after a gap of almost two years.

In view of this and with an increase in Covid cases, parents believe that schools may be the first to shut down, and hence are leaving no stone unturned to ensure they remain open as long as other establishments, especially entertainment ones, are allowed to operate.

According to parents, the children have already suffered a tremendous loss, not only in terms of academics but also their overall growth. They also said that if the children can go to restaurants and movie theatres, they can go to school too, without any additional risk.

"Even as schools have begun, it is yet a long road to normalcy. Cutting it again will have other consequences. Schools are no different than other public establishments and transport options. Then why close only schools if the situation worsens? Moreover, nobody knows how long the Covid infection will continue. Are we planning to shut schools only every time there is a rise in numbers of infected people?" asked Sudha Karnik, a parent.

Another parent, Rajesh Shah, said, "Now there will be a vaccine for children aged 15 and above. Younger kids are anyway less susceptible to serious effects of Covid, as explained by paediatric doctors several times. Then why keep them home? Offline schooling is not a mandate currently and those willing to continue online learning have an option."

The Mumbai Parents Association is in the process of connecting with and gathering more parents to push for their demand. Moneshi Shah, a parent from the group, said, "More and more parents are joining. The government should take correct guidelines from the Paediatrics Task Force before taking any decision at an administration level. Nobody can be more careful about children's safety than their parents."

15 Dec
Day schools reopened for all Stds