After the second day of reopening of Government Schools for the students studying in Classes IX-XII, Haryana Education Minister Kanwar Pal Gujjar on Tuesday said that the number of students who attended their Schools was comparatively low but with the passage of time in the next 10 days, their attendance would increase.
Owing to rising cases of Covid-19, wearing masks has been made mandatory for the students along with strict implementation of other necessary guidelines. “In the last two days, so far all the students attended their school wearing masks located in rural and urban areas and sought guidance from their teachers. If needed, masks will be provided to students by the State Government,” he added.
Talking to The Pioneer over Phone, Gujjar said that the decision of reopening of Government School was taken in compliance with the Unlock-4 guidelines issued by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.
Teachers should go for Covid-19 testing periodically and for this, the health department has made proper arrangements regarding the same. Responding to a question that private school operators criticising the State Government for charging fee from private school teachers for Covid-19 test, Gujjar said that this issue has not come yet before the Government but will be taken care of.
The Education Minister said that online teaching would continue in the State. As per reports from the districts, the Covid-19 standard operating procedures were being followed strictly in Government Schools, where students were being thermally scanned and made to wash and sanitise their hands. “The schools opened after six months for “consultation” for classes IX to XII.
Gujjar said that schools were earlier asked by the authorities concerned to follow all Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) issued by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and all the necessary arrangements were made for smooth conduct of the schools.
A Senior Education officer from Panchkula said that after remaining shut for the past six months due to the Covid-19 outbreak, schools partially reopened on Monday to enable students studying in Classes IX to XII to visit their institutions on a voluntary basis for taking guidance from their teachers.
“The State Govt had recently allowed students of Class IX to XII to visit their schools in areas outside Covid-19 containment zones only, on voluntary basis for academic guidance. The students carried written permission that had consent of their parents or guardians allowing them to visit schools for guidance from teachers. It has been made mandatory for teachers to download the Aarogya Setu app on their mobile phones and all were required to take a Covid-19 test before September 21.”
A principal of a government school in Panchkula said that students of higher classes, who visited the school to seek teachers’ guidance, were allocated different time slots to ensure only a few students are present inside the school at a given time.
She also said that despite education being imparted online these days, as schools are shut, many students were excited to visit the school after a long gap and meet their teachers.
“The teachers too were happy to see them after months. Even students were happy to be back in school, even if regular classes had not resumed yet. We were expecting more students in line with the consent forms we had received.
However, it seems parents have changed their mind and are not willing to send their wards to school. We are taking every precaution in view of the pandemic and following all the government guidelines,” she said.
A Govt School teacher said that the attendance of the students was low as some parents might have been apprehensive as coronavirus cases had surged in the State and elsewhere. Teachers were instructed not to share books, dusters, chalks with either students or other teachers.
“We expect more students to join in the coming days, but the decision lies solely with the parents because they should feel comfortable in sending their children to school,” she added.