Nagpur: The civic body’s decision late on Saturday to defer reopening of schools till at least December 13 has been welcomed by all stakeholders. Many teachers association and parents had vehemently opposed the earlier reopening date of November 23. The consensus among critics is that the timing, right after Diwali, was flawed.
MLC from teachers constituency, Nago Ganar, said that public representatives must lead from the front if they talk about reopening. “The reason why government deferred the Nagpur winter assembly session was because of fear of increase in cases. All this points to fear among these adults. Then it did not make any sense to put our kids being put at risk,” said Ganar.
Yogesh Pathare, national coordinator of Rashtriya Shikshak Palak Sangh (RSPS), said, “There is a possibility of a second Covid-19 wave coming and so it’s good that NMC has changed its decision. However instead of December 13, it should be extended till the year end like Mumbai and Thane.”
Ravindra Fadnavis, karyavaha of Maharashtra Rajya Shikshan Sanstha Mahamandal, said, “Happy that they changed their decision. I fail to understand this rush to reopen schools and put our children at risk. Look at some of the states which had reopened schools and you will find that many students and teachers have got infected. If we wait for a just a bit longer, it will not inconvenience us.”
Ashok Gavhankar, general secretary of Vidarbha Junior College Teachers’ Association (VJUCTA), said, “We are playing with the health of our teachers and children. Nobody is against schools reopening, the objection is solely regarding the timing. The biggest festival has just ended and should we not wait for two to three weeks to assess the health impact on our community.”
Sandeep Agrawal, head of Vidarbha Parents’ Association, said, “Reopening of schools is a bad decision, period. The state government has not taken into account the problems it will pose for students and parents. The risk of infection is too high.”
Purshottam Panchbhai, vice president of Maharashtra Rajya Rashtravadi Shikshak Sangh, said the government must go for a uniform policy. “The timing was always questionable as it’s right after Diwali. Following Mumbai and Thane’s decision, I strongly believe that every district must implement the same. Medical professionals themselves are saying that there is a possibility of a second wave coming. Good that NMC has changed its decision.”
Dr Anoop Marar, an executive member of Vidarbha Hospitals Association too welcomed the decision. “Even when adults are behaving in an irresponsible manner by flouting all rules, one has to be extra careful when young students will gather at a common place. The common places like washrooms always pose a risk to students. Ensuring compliance of Covid prevention norms would have been a difficult task and would have hastened the second surge. It’s good that NMC has put its plan to reopen schools on hold,” said Marar.