‘Mumbai schools may see drop in attendance due to Omicron threat’

A teacher takes an in-person class at Parle Tilak Vidyalaya in October

Even as resumption of in-person classes in schools for the younger standards has been put on hold in Mumbai, attendance in the higher standards are expected to see a drop, as per a nationwide survey conducted based on the Omicron threat. The survey further claims that the threat of the new COVID variant will have a direct impact on parents' willingness to send their children to schools.

The survey has been conducted by Local Circles - a community social media platform that has been active throughout the pandemic in ensuring that the collective opinion of parents of school children reaches the government, especially regarding reopening and closure. The question that was asked to parents as part of the survey is, "With the threat of COVID variant Omicron on the horizon, what is your view on sending your children/grandchildren to school for in-person classes?" About 32 per cent of the respondents, who have not been sending their wards to in-person classes, said that they would continue to do so till there is more clarity. Another 10 per cent said, "Schools where our children/grandchildren study have not started in-person classes yet". The findings further indicate that schools in India are likely to see a 14 per cent drop in students attending in-person classes immediately with more students dropping out eventually.

Staffers clean a classroom at Cathedral and John Connon School at Azad Maidan. File pic

According to information provided by Sachin Taparia, founder of Local Circles, 58 per cent of parents are currently sending their children to school. Another 32 per cent are parents of younger children and about 10 per cent parents said that their wards' schools have not resumed physical classes yet.

Of the 58 per cent that are sending their children to school, 14 per cent will stop immediately due to the threat of Omicron. The survey has also found that once the first case is reported in India, another 5 per cent parents are likely to stop sending their wards to school and once multiple cases are reported, another 5 per cent are likely to do the same. Another 10 per cent parents will take a call regarding the same when a case of Omicron is detected in their district. When several cases are detected in their district, almost all parents are likely to stop sending their children to school.

"Chances are that even before all of this happens, state governments and district magistrates might shut down schools. In one of the first examples, resumption of classes for younger children was postponed by two weeks by the BMC from December 1 to December 15 due to the Omicron threat," he said.

LocalCircles will share the findings of the survey with key stakeholders in the central government and chief secretaries of all states so that the inputs of parents can be considered as they finalise their school protocols.

32
Percentage of respondents whose kids are still in e-classes