PANAJI: As schools in Goa partially reopen from Saturday for students of Class X and XII, institutes are doing everything in their capacity to create awareness about their SOPs among students.
Some, like Panaji’s People’s High School, are employing innovative ways to drive home the point. The institute has filmed a video in which four of its students are seen demonstrating the SOPs. School managing trustee Rahul Deshpande said that besides circulating the video on class online groups to generate awareness among parents and students, the video was also made available to the managements of six other schools based in and around Panaji for use.
“We had to create awareness among students about the dos and don’ts, so we sat down and decided the highlights on which students have to be educated,” said Deshpande. “They will come wearing their own masks. But it was important to educate them about not borrowing things like water bottles. Also, as students of Class X and XII do not get midday meals, they expect to go to the canteen. That is why we put the video in place.” He added that the institute has 120 students in Class X and around 160 in Class XII, across four streams.
The video also urges students to take responsibility for sanitising their own desks by getting diluted disinfectants in a bottle from home and newspaper pieces to wipe it off.
“We will be sanitising the school premises, but students need to be made aware about cleaning their own desks as the peon cannot be after every student. If students get the disinfectant from home, then continuous sanitisation can be ensured, and they also become responsible at their level,” said Deshpande, who shot the short video himself.
In Curchorem, the New Educational Institute has printed their SOPs on the undertaking which the institute will make parents and students sign, consenting to them.
“The school has carried out the required sanitisation with its own funds, but it is not clear from the directorate of education’s circular who will be responsible if anyone is infected during the physical classes,” said school manager Satyesh Kakodkar. “Therefore, besides the undertaking, we have also instructed our school security guard to check the students’ temperature with a thermal scanner when they enter as well as when they exit school. And the student will be made to sign a register confirming this.”
At the Government Higher Secondary School, Sakhali, parents will have to attend a presentation on the SOPs on day-1 of school reopening, on November 21.
“We have made batches of 30 parents, who will be given the presentation,” said principal Asha Naik. “We will explain the chart of class timings we have drawn up. To be able to maintain social distancing, students have been broken up into batches and classes will be held accordingly. And therefore, one student may only have classes once or twice a week. At times, some students may not inform parents about the school schedule. So we are conducting the presentation.”