While most households with students from Stds I to VII were brimming with excitement, the level was a notch higher at those with kids from Stds I and II as it will be the first school experience
Aloka Gambhir with her sons Amor and Nirvan
Olivia Gandhi, 7, was busy jumping in excitement as her school will start in-person classes from Wednesday. The feeling was shared at the Gambhir household in Worli where Amor, 6, will finally get to see his school. As schools in the city reopen from Wednesday for Stds I to VII, there is excitement at several households, especially those with kids in Stds I and II as they will experience school for the first time.
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“Olivia was jumping when she heard the news. She was in Montessori school when the lockdown was imposed. This will be her first day at the Oberoi International School and she is very excited. In the past two years, she has only seen the school once when I took her there by mistake when picking up stationery and uniform. She stayed in the car as children were not allowed, but that was the highlight of the year for her,” said Sanne, her mother. She added how her younger child cried as she would still have to remain at home as pre-primary has not reopened yet. “Olivia’s school is really doing a great job by not delaying the reopening any further. We have complete faith in the school for taking care of our children,” Sanne said.
Sanne Gandhi with her daughters
Just like Olivia, Amor and his elder brother Nirvan are also happy about going to Podar ORT International School, Worli. Nirvan was in Std I when the lockdown hit while it will be Amor’s first day at school ever. Their mother Aloka said, “We are all really excited. The kids really needed to be with other kids. We are thankful that the school has taken proactive steps to begin in-person classes. Even though it will close again for Christmas vacation next week, it provides children with time to acclimatise to the new normal of going to school.” On the topic of taking Covid precautions, she said, “Taking care of Covid protocol rather comes naturally for these younger kids as they have not seen much of pre-Covid times. And they do listen to teachers. We are anyway taking kids everywhere now; school would rather be a much-controlled environment.”
BMC order out, but schools still divided
Meanwhile, leaving no room for any confusion, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) finally issued the much-awaited order for schools reopening for Stds I to VII. However, schools are still divided about reopening. While most non-state board schools are waiting for a few more days, all state board schools are ready to welcome kids.
A parent who was not comfortable sharing the name of the school her child goes to said, “My older son who is in Std IX is already going to school. So, we have seen how safe it is and are already ready to send the younger one too. But we have been told by the school that they will begin primary classes post Christmas vacation. Thankfully our school has kept us in the loop. Whereas in many schools, parents are still wondering over the school’s plan of action.”
The newly formed parents association in the city is now focusing on creating a database of schools on the basis of their reopening plan. “We are collating information on which schools are reopening and from when. We want to understand the concerns of schools too. In a few days the picture will be clear on this,” shared Moneshi Shah, a concerned parent.
Schools speak
While there are schools ready to open gates on Wednesday, some schools plan to wait a few more days. Kavita Chatterjee, principal of Orchids–The International School, Kurla, said, “The safety of our students is our utmost concern. The school has been able to deliver the best learning journey even through the online mode. The teachers also come up with new strategies and activities to keep students engaged. It is also difficult to make the students follow the protocols at such a young age so opening school in phases would be a better idea. All scenarios need to be contemplated and things have to be designed and implemented minutely rather than in a hurry.”
Shishuvan School Principal Prachi Ranadive said, “We will be beginning next week as currently we are in the process of holding ICSE board exams. Arrangements of classrooms are already made. We can welcome younger kids to school after that.”
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