Mumbai: Schools take measures to keep students safe

Schools like DS High School in Sion seen here, had reopened in December 2021 after the COVID-19 lockdown with many safety measures in place. File pic/Atul Kamble

The rising communicable diseases among kids and the latest monkeypox and swine flu scare have made schools take a slew of measures to alert parents, urging them to keep a close watch on their ward's health. While many schools have issued health advisories to parents, at least one is planning to switch to online teaching.

The Maharashtra government released a series of guidelines to prevent the spread of monkeypox on July 25. The state department has alerted all doctors and local health departments to watch out for patients with foreign travel history and symptoms of monkeypox.

Sanitisation facilities

Gina Cardoz, EuroKids Preschool, Thane, Bhayander, said, "We have dedicated staff at all our EuroKids Centers who screen the students, teachers, and staff. We ensure regular disinfection of all areas and have proper sanitisation facilities to prevent the spread of the disease. We have also advised frequent hand sanitisation to ensure safety of children. Additionally, we have issued advisories to parents and partners to keep them informed about the precautionary measures to be taken in the current scenario. If a student is feeling unwell and has symptoms like fever, skin rash, or sore throat, he/she is advised to rest at home, stay hydrated, and follow all guidelines of the medical practitioner."

"We have noticed limited cases of monkeypox in India so far, however, keeping in mind the guidelines issued in public interest by the health ministry for its management, we are acting accordingly. At Orchids - The International School, we are taking all precautions and following safety measures for COVID-19, but we have not yet given an advisory on monkeypox with parents as of now. But we are keeping a close watch and will soon take necessary action," said a spokesperson from Orchids - The International School.

Some schools have said that absenteeism among kids has risen owing to the rise in cases of contagious and communicable diseases like viral fever, chicken pox and hand foot mouth disease (HFMD).

Many absentees

Bombay Scottish School, Mahim, said currently, they have 15 per cent absentees. "The situation is tough, however parents need not worry. They just have to be alert. We have already consulted doctors and will issue a health advisory with dos and don'ts to be followed by parents, students and staff. We are keeping a close check on attendance. I am personally keeping a tab on the attendance of smaller kids.

Currently, the absenteeism in our school is 15 per cent, the situation is much better than in other schools. But if it increases to 20 per cent-25 per cent we will switch to online mode for a few days," said Sunita George, principal of Bombay Scottish School.

All the branches and sections under Rustomjee Cambridge school and Junior College have issued advisories and notes to their parents on chicken pox, viral fever and HFMD. "It looks like there is high absenteeism among school kids. It is nothing serious, however, our staff has been alerting parents on keeping a check on their children's health. One of our schools had a doctor parent conduct a workshop on the issue to create awareness among the other parents," said Hanif Kanjer, founder-director, Rustomjee Cambridge International School & Junior College.