KOLKATA: Most
schools are about to hold intense counselling sessions from Tuesday for both
parents and students about the do’s and don’ts on the premises once campuses re-open on Friday. Some schools registered students for such sessions on Monday. With just three days to go, schools also finalized their
Covid “task force” on Monday. They started their hourly drills so that nothing is left to chance. Every minute of school time has been rationed with war like alacrity.
Sanitisation and fogging of every nook and cranny, changed and distanced seating arrangements in the designated classrooms, sealing off water coolers so that there is no crowding near them, getting batches of new housekeeping staff to take position for hourly cleaning of toilets are some of the physical changes that are being done in every school of the city under strict supervision of the administration. “It’s a challenge and we have to take it head on and we are ready,” said Supriyo Dhar, secretary of the La Martiniere schools.
Children of Class XII and their parents of
South Point School registered on Monday for a detailed counselling session to be given on Tuesday by teachers. “They will be told about what they can do and what they cannot, once they are on campus. They will have to adhere to each step. Though it’s their old
campus, these are changed times,” explained Krishna Damani.
Most schools have finalised the Covid task force that will be continuously doing the rounds of the lobbies, toilets and all other places that are being opened up to students. Take the case of DPS Ruby Park and DPS
New Town. In both these schools, the teams have started doing the drill. “We are dealing with children after all, who will be made to go through a difficult situation where they cannot loiter, cannot gather in groups, need to wash hands frequently, keep masks on. Our team will keep an eye on all this and encourage students along the way,” said Sonali Sen, principal of DPS New Town.
Most schools have employed additional housekeeping staff who are being made to clean toilets on an hourly basis even these are not being used, just to get them into the habit. At Nava Nalanda School, principal Arijit Mitra is daily supervising sanitising and fogging. “We are going to have short hours so that children are on campus for intense teaching for shorter duration. They will be let off before lunch break,” he said.
Schools have also decided to start with 15 minutes to half an hour of counselling on campus everyday before class starts. This is replacing assembly. “During this time they will be told that even when outside the school, they should keep safe distance with others because they must remember that they might otherwise become potential carriers of the deadly virus,” said Loveleen Saigal, principal of
Birla High School. Each boy has been given details about which staircase to take to reach his classroom. This school and
Lakshmipat Singhania Academy have circulated videos of preparedness among parents, too.