HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court on Tuesday, August 31, 2021, made it clear that school managements could not penalise students or their parents if the child did not attend it for offline classes. During the hearing on a PIL filed by a private teacher Mandapati Bala Krishna from Hyderabad for a direction against reopening of schools, the court said the schools, including pre-primary ones, will have the freedom to offer either only offline or only online classes, or both.
Justice MS Ramachandra Rao, after hearing the petitioner’s counsel Ravichander, said that the court had to think about children too, as they had been suffering from psychological problems due to lack of socialising.
In rural areas, children get midday meals, and parents don’t send their children for labour work if their children are studying. Also in rural areas, parents find it difficult to get smartphones and fast internet connectivity, required for attending online classes, said Justice Ramachandra Rao. The case was adjourned to October 4 for hearing.
Safety of children
The court asked the authorities to file a counter affidavit in four weeks stating the number of government and social welfare schools and hostels in the State, with measures being taken to ensure children’s safety. The court also wanted to know the number of beds available in each district as on Tuesday, to treat children in case they were infected by Covid-19.
Telangana Advocate General BS Prasad informed the Bench that the State government had taken the decision to restart physical classes in all schools after carrying out in-depth due deliberations with experts in the medical field.
Children, if they attend schools in rural areas, will have access to nutritious food under the midday meal programme and remain healthy. All arrangements have been made in Telangana schools by following Covid-19 norms, he said.