'Our children can't focus, they are suffering'

An open letter signed by a total of 1,730 parents from across Mumbai has been sent to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, requesting to reopen schools for younger classes (kindergarten and primary sections) in the city.

Schools in the city reopened for Classes VIII to XII last month. "Looking at the models followed in other parts of the country, where the reopening of primary schools was streamlined, we hoped that our kids too would start going to school post Diwali. But there is no sign of this yet," said Gayatri Sabharwal, a parent and resident of South Mumbai. In the letter, parents have raised concerns about the rising cases of depression and anxiety among kids. "The development of our future workforce is at stake," the letter states.

Natasha Chib, a parent, said that online school defeats the purpose of learning

Natasha Chib, a parent and signatory, said that if a significant number of parents are ready to send their children to school, the state government should not have a problem. Taking the argument ahead, Simone Khambatta, a lifestyle and mommy influencer on Instagram, said, "Kids are already attending birthday parties, so why can't they go to school. Many kids are experiencing social anxiety and find it difficult to adjust with a large group of people." Khambatta has already written an open letter to the CM Maharashtra on behalf of 10,000 parents from Mumbai.

Meanwhile, the online movement #openmumbaischoolsnow has also started gaining momentum. Apart from an Instagram page and a Twitter handle, the group has also started an online petition on the change.org platform, where almost 2,500 signatures have been received till date.