Amidst Covid-19 resurgence in the State, the Punjab Government wants to make the Safe School Vahan Scheme safer for the school children.
With the State’s 1,392 schools — both Government and private — reporting more than 700 cases of the novel coronavirus and one casualty since the reopening of school after a gap of more than a month, the state Education Department is initiating steps to check the spread further.
As a part of the same, the Department has asked all the school authorities to ensure safe transportation of the kids by ensuring strict adherence to Covid-19 safety protocols.
According to the available figures, as many as 452 students and 271 teachers have tested positive for the virus till February 21, besides one death of a teacher in Ludhiana.
Notably, the state government had reopened schools for students of classes IX to XII in mid-October last year making parents’ consent mandatory for physically attending the school, with the continuation of online mode of study too.On January 7, the Punjab Government also reopened schools for Classes V to VIII on an optional basis, followed by Classes III and IV from January 27 onwards, while from February 1 onwards, schools were reopened for the rest of the primary classes as well.
Even as majority of the private schools conducted classes in batches for two to three hours every day, the Government schools started classes from 10 am to 3 pm from January 7 onwards, while revising the timings from February 22 onwards for primary classes (9 am to 3 pm) and for middle, high and senior secondary classes (9 am to 3.20 pm). To ensure safe transportation, the State’s School Education director (senior secondary) has written to all the District Education Officers, of both senior and elementary education, to implement the safe school vahan scheme. At the same time, they have been asked to make the parents aware about the same by conducting the parent-teacher meetings.
Along with the letter, the school education director has also attached the previous order of the State Education Department and also the state Transport Department order regarding the scheme.
As per the scheme, the principal, headmaster or headmistress of the school will be responsible for transportation of school children, besides ensuring that all school buses should not ferry more children than the registered seating capacity, and ensure medical check-up of van drivers as well.
“The school authorities have been asked to ensure that the attendants are provided in buses to ensure COVID-19 protocol like proper distancing, wearing of masks, etc. The school authorities would also have to ensure that the driver and attendants are not suffering from any contagious disease,” said the Department official.
SHOCKING FIGURES
As per the figures available, 78 students and 31 teachers had tested positive for the contagion between January 7 and February 8, including a 40-year-old teacher who died. Between February 8 and 21, a total of 374 fresh cases were reported among students and 240 new cases among teachers with a jump of 82.7 percent and 88.5 percent respectively. By February 21, the number rose to 723 — a cumulative increase by 84.9 percent in total cases.