BENGALURU: The government will submit its report on the feasibility of Vidyagama programme to the Karnataka High Court on Monday. This follows a PIL filed in the court about the educational continuity of students in government schools.
The report consists of the opinions of DDPIs in the state, which as per sources in the know, are for the resumption of the programme. The positive response also comes in the backdrop of reducing number of Covid-19 cases, the sources added.
Vidyagama was stopped abruptly in mid-October after teachers and students complained of spike in Covid-19 cases. The education department had sought the feedback from officials, including the DDPIs, on November 8.
According to sources, officials have expressed the need to reopen schools, and the government is preparing to restart its flagship scheme that helped students studying in government schools. Teachers’ associations too are of the opinion that the programme must be resumed but within the premises of schools, instead of holding it in playgrounds in the open.
‘Child labour a concern after Vidyagama was stopped’
Whi le students of private schools were allowed to hold their classes online, those studying in government schools were enrolled in the Vidyagama programme in August. Ever since Vidyagama was stopped, experts have been wary about the impact of the discontinuity of education on marginalised students.
The health department also noted that child labour and child marriage were a matter of concern. Primary Education Minister S Suresh Kumar had said those were social ills that were to be dealt with individually, and that the lives of students were a priority.