BENGALURU: Educationists have demanded for the reopening of lower primary schools (Classes I to 5) on October 21, with all safety measures in place, as tentatively stated by the department, instead of waiting for opinion polls from parents which would delay the reopening date.
“Department is considering to discuss the issue of school reopening with parents before deciding on the opening date. This may delay the opening of schools further. Parents across the state have overwhelmingly stated that they want schools to reopen. One study found that over 95 per cent of rural parents want schools to be reopened. Parents want their children to access learning opportunities which weren’t available to most during school closure. They want nutritious hot-cooked meals for their children,” said experts.
As department will keep attendance optional, parents who are unwilling to send their children to schools, can keep them at home, added experts including educationist Niranjanaradhya VP. Experts under the aegis of National Coalition on the Education Emergency, demanded that hot-cooked meals should also be given to students from the same time, in compliance with the Right to Education (RTE) norms.
“Those parents, who want to send their children to schools must not be deprived of the opportunity as per the Fundamental Right to Education,” said Gurumurthy Kasinathan. Hence, there’s no reason to further delay school reopening, said experts, who are dismayed about the department’s plans to survey parents on school reopening.