Schools in Kerala which have been remained closed for the last 21 months on account of Covid-19 pandemic reopened for the forst time in the academic year 2021-2022 on Monday, the anniversary of the formation of the State in 1956.
All schools across the State spotted a festive look as more than 40 lakh children made their way to the classes. “There is no compulsion on the Students and their guardians. The children need to come to school only of they are confident and comfortable. We have made elaborate arrangements to prevent the children from getting afflicted with Covid-19,” said V Sivankutty, educationist and minister for school education.
He said the on-line classes would continue along with the off-line classes to facilitate the education of students opting to study from home. Schools have been sanitized and the students were given detailed counselling about the dos and don’ts to be observed while in school.
But many parents who spoke to The Pioneer expressed their reservation about the opening of the schools “The pandemic is yet to subside and the number of fresh daily cases are yet to come down from the 8,000 mark. It is difficult to control the little children who are yet to understand the seriousness of the situation,” said Sindhu Prasad, a home maker whose two sons made their way to the school on Monday.
A senior physician working in a Government hospital said he would not send his son who is in the Plus Two class to the school. It is November and the Government could have waited for another three or four months. There is no guarantee that the Covid-19 would not strike the youngsters,” said the doctor.
He said he was worried about the fall out that may occur if the children and infested with the Covid-19. “It is not like aged people getting afflicted with the pandemic. There are already apprehensions about memory fog (loss of memory due to the pandemic)”, said the doctor.
A trip to Kozhikode and Malappuram showed that safety protocols have been given a go by the people. Buses and trains are over crowded and many people were not wearing face masks. All eateries and hotels are operating to capacity. “People have started behaving like the way they used to do before the Covid-19 struck and this is a dangerous signal,” said Mahesh of Parappanangadi in Malappuram district.
Doctors in Government service, who are the real front line warriors in the fight against the pandemic, are on a non-cooperation agitation against the Government’s indifference to their long time demands for better working conditions and restoration of the slashed risk allowances. Though they had planned an indefinite stand-up agitation all over the State, it was postponed on an assurance from the health minister that their grievances would be looked into by the government favorably, said Dr G s Vijayakrishnan and Dr TN Suresh, president and general secretary, Kerala Government Medical Officers Association.