CHENNAI: Both private and government school managements are awaiting the government’s nod to reopen schools for Classes 10,11 and 12 from October 1. A final decision in this regard is expected on Tuesday after a high-level committee holds a meeting with Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and School Education minister KA Sengottaiyan.
Nonetheless, the students will only be asked to come on a voluntary basis. The Revenue and Disaster Management (DM-IV) Department on Monday issued a sample consent form which the parents will have to fill up while sending their wards to schools. The consent form has been issued only for students who want to seek clarifications and clear their doubts, and not for regular classes. The government is likely to approve students going to schools only for clearing doubts. Parents have also been asked to guarantee that their wards will cooperate will social distancing and sanitation protocols as advised by the government.
Schools functioning in containment zones shall not be allowed to function. Even as government’s final decision is pending, many private schools have expressed readiness to reopen.“We already had to do away with quarterly exams. The half yearly is in December. We cannot keep teaching through distance. Schools are ready to open, if the government gives a green signal,” said KR Nandhakumar, the leader of the Tamil Nadu Matriculation, Higher Secondary and CBSE Schools Association.
A principal of a matriculation school in Chennai said she was willing to comply with any guidelines as long as students are allowed to come. “It is very hard to teach online. Especially subjects like maths and science which need non-verbal communication through experiments and projects,” she said.
The headmistress of a low-budget private school in Tiruvannamalai said very few students have even enroled as their school is not equipped to take online classes. “Our students do not have gadgets for online classes as well. We can prepare them for public exams only if the government allows students to attend classes physically,” she said.
Pk Ilamaran, the leader of TN government teachers association told Express that while teachers want students to come to school, parents are not very willing to do so. “The parents are still scared. The best way would be to issue a schedule for doubt-clearing classes,” he said, adding that students will be asked to bring their own drinking water and masks.
Even if schools reopen, classes will be held in batches. In an old advisory, the government had said that schools were asked to divide students into two batches and they would be called to school on alternate days.