Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation is in no hurry to Re-open Schools

Schools in the country are set to open post the School Education Department’s Government Resolution (GR) issued on Tuesday (permitting city schools to reopen) from august 17. However, Mumbai still has to wait for a while. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to wait until after Diwali to see and observe how the situation unfolds. 

 

As per the resolution, offline classes can start for classes 8th to 12th in urban areas, and classes 5th to 8th in rural areas. In rural areas, the higher classes have already resumed offline lecturers as part of phase 1 of reopening schools. Even as the government resolution permits the reopening of schools under the ‘back to school’ movement, the final decision lies in the hands of the local civic bodies by forming committees.

 

The Government Resolution further states, “The state government has been making efforts to make sure that education reaches everyone through the online mode, but considering the digital divide, it cannot be ignored that some are away from online education and so there is a need for a blended approach. Since it has now been over a year that schools are shut, it is having adverse effects on children’s physical and mental growth.

 

Delay in the reopening of schools would mean more difficulties in resolving these issues. As per the fourth SERO survey, 57.2 percent of children in the 6 to 17 years age group have already developed antibodies. In a recent survey by the state council for educational research and training, over 80 percent of parents in the state had voted for reopening of schools.” Some of the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) attached with the GR include physical distancing, wearing of facemasks and washing of hands among all. In addition, each class can have only a maximum of 15-20 students.