The third wave of Covid has receded substantially and various sections of society are now demanding the reopening of schools in the Kashmir valley. Though schools usually reopen in March after the long winter break, it seems several parents, as well as children, are keen to resume normal offline schooling. Not just the school administrators but other groups like traders have started issuing statements in this regard. All eyes are now on the State Executive Committee (SEC) that will take a call on the reopening of schools. While there are three more weeks left before we welcome the month of March, the Jammu and Kashmir government too has come up with statements that the administration was looking into the matter. Lieutenant Governor (LG) Manoj Sinha on Monday last said a decision in this regard was likely after a fortnight. “I congratulate and hail the efforts put forth by the doctors and paramedics in fighting the Covid third wave. The wave seems to have settled down now. If things improve further within the next 15 days, we will surely deliberate on re-opening of schools and colleges in J&K,” the LG had told reporters on the sidelines of a function in Srinagar. Deputy Commissioner (DC) Srinagar, Muhammad Aijaz Asad too stated on Wednesday that the Covid cases have recorded a significant decline. After all, the increase and decrease in Covid cases in the coming weeks will finally decide whether or not the government will reopen schools in Kashmir. “All the predictions with regard to the spurt in Covid cases were proven wrong by Srinagar residents as the daily cases have reached 100 cases now. We should further focus to bring the number of cases to zero. The SEC will make a decision in this regard very soon,” the DC Srinagar said while adding that vaccination for children was pivotal for the reopening of schools.
The private schools’ association that has for long been battling for the reopening of educational institutions see a ray of hope now after the government allowed the reopening of coaching centers. The Coaching Centres Association of Kashmir (CCAK) today welcomed the government decision to allow the resumption of classes at the coaching centers. The Association termed it as the right decision at a right time for the students who are preparing for the forthcoming competitive examinations. “Our competitive examinations are just around the corner. Many of our students were living in rented accommodations in Srinagar. After the closure of coaching centers, most of the students were mentally disturbed and unable to focus on their studies. The opening of coaching centers is a huge relief for them and a beautiful gift from the government, for which they deserve applause,” a CCAK statement had stated. A traders’ body too batted for schools reopening while stating that the children were facing mental health issues due to sitting at home and attending only online classes due to the outbreak of the Coronavirus.
Now, the reopening of schools is dependent on two factors – vaccination of children and the rate of new Covid positive cases. Unfortunately, vaccination for children below the age of 15 has not started so far. And if the government is saying that the schools will be reopened after the vaccination process is completed, it means the authorities will only open classes from high school onwards. It means the children of lower classes will have to wait till the Covid positive cases come down to almost zero. If the schools for lower classes too are reopened in case of a substantial dip in Covid positive cases, it is imperative that the authorities ensure following of ‘offline-online’ option and holding of rotational classes. Last time, schools had reopened with 50 percent attendance on a given day. We should not yet again have a situation where schools ask parents to sign bonds before their wards attend classes. Schools do claim that they will follow Covid safety protocols but we know it is very difficult to make children of kindergarten and other lower classes follow these guidelines.
In the meantime, some states/ UT’s have reopened schools while others will follow suit soon. Schools have already reopened from Monday in Delhi for students of classes 9 to 12. At the same time, the Haryana government has ordered the reopening of classes from 1 to 9. However, at the same time, the Haryana government order said that the online mode of education will also continue. The J&K government along with the school administrators and parents should keep an eye on the developments in the states where the educational institutes have opened or are about to open. At the same time, the SEC should consult the doctors and health experts before reopening the schools. And if the health experts give a go-ahead, only then should lower classes schools be allowed to reopen. Also, only vaccinated students should be allowed to attend the higher classes whenever the government decides to open the same in Kashmir.