KOLKATA: Educational institutions in the state will remain closed till September 20. Work will, however, continue as it is being done now. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s announcement after the state cabinet meeting at Nabanna on Wednesday brought relief to several institution heads, as many were apprehensive of classes beginning on September 5 as had been announced earlier.
The Heritage School principal Seema Sapru said the school had not yet decided on admissions for the 2021-22 session. “Usually, we hold interactions with parents after the Durga Puja vacation. But this year, we hope that by the time we publish an advertisement, the situation normalizes. We are not in a hurry.” “We organise school visits, which can’t be done right now. However, for the existing students, classes will continue online,” Sapru said.
South Point School, however, has put in place an initial plan. “We are keen to know how the government allows operation when schools reopen. The restrictions on the number of students, space requirement and age groups are important. Depending on all these factors, we will draw up a final plan,” spokesperson Krishna Damani said. He explained that some likely scenarios are being planned for.
The colleges also have set the ball rolling. “The first-semester students won’t begin classes till it is possible to verify their documents for which offline presence is compulsory. Thus, we can’t hold online classes for the UG first-semester students, even after their admissions,” pointed Lady Brabourne College principal Siuli Sarkar.
“However, if after September 20, offline classes resume, we shall hold classes for humanities and science on different days. This is our preliminary plan,” she added. She said that the college has already sanitized the hostel and college campus. “The local train service needs to be resumed before students can travel to college hassle-free. Also, the non-teaching staffers need to travel every day,” she said.
Fr Dominic Savio, principal of St Xavier’s College (autonomous), however, said they were likely to begin online classes on September 20 for the first-semester UG students based on provisional admissions. the physical documents would be verified later. He added that the physical classes can only resume after reopening the hostel accommodation. “A lot of our students are from outside the state. We will have to consider their number and also the government’s instructions to draw up a final plan,” he said.
The Heritage School principal Seema Sapru said the school had not yet decided on admissions for the 2021-22 session. “Usually, we hold interactions with parents after the Durga Puja vacation. But this year, we hope that by the time we publish an advertisement, the situation normalizes. We are not in a hurry.” “We organise school visits, which can’t be done right now. However, for the existing students, classes will continue online,” Sapru said.
Times View
Schools and colleges may have to go back to the drawing board as it seems unlikely that they will be able to resume actual classes next month. Managements will also need to plan for the unit and semester exams ahead. This is easier said than done but proper planning can help reduce disruption.
South Point School, however, has put in place an initial plan. “We are keen to know how the government allows operation when schools reopen. The restrictions on the number of students, space requirement and age groups are important. Depending on all these factors, we will draw up a final plan,” spokesperson Krishna Damani said. He explained that some likely scenarios are being planned for.
The colleges also have set the ball rolling. “The first-semester students won’t begin classes till it is possible to verify their documents for which offline presence is compulsory. Thus, we can’t hold online classes for the UG first-semester students, even after their admissions,” pointed Lady Brabourne College principal Siuli Sarkar.
“However, if after September 20, offline classes resume, we shall hold classes for humanities and science on different days. This is our preliminary plan,” she added. She said that the college has already sanitized the hostel and college campus. “The local train service needs to be resumed before students can travel to college hassle-free. Also, the non-teaching staffers need to travel every day,” she said.
Fr Dominic Savio, principal of St Xavier’s College (autonomous), however, said they were likely to begin online classes on September 20 for the first-semester UG students based on provisional admissions. the physical documents would be verified later. He added that the physical classes can only resume after reopening the hostel accommodation. “A lot of our students are from outside the state. We will have to consider their number and also the government’s instructions to draw up a final plan,” he said.
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