Nagpur: Eight rural area schools were shut down this week after some students and teachers tested positive for Covid-19. These schools will remain closed for at least 10 days and the affected people will be tested again.
Nagpur district education officer Chintaman Vanjari said, “A total of around 35 students in Hingna and Saoner taluka tested positive. We have also received reports of four teachers, from those schools, also tested positive. As per the safety protocols issued by the government, we have shut these schools down for 10 days.”
While there has a been a rise in positive cases in the district for the last one week, the attendance figures overall are not getting affected. The last updated attendance on February18 shows that since the beginning of the year, attendance in schools has been rising steadily.
Vanjari said, “Schools are taking all precautions and we keep guiding them about safety protocols as well. The Covid guidelines about maintaining social distancing, washing hands regularly etc is something which is being practised by all.”
As of now in Nagpur, Classes V-XII are allowed to open for physical learning. Many academics feel that at least Std V-VIII should be closed down, considering spike in the cases.
Bhola High School principal Premlata Tiwari said, “Unlike SSC and HSC students, those from Std V-VIII don’t have to worry about board exams. So, the state government should close classes for all of them.” She further said the rules of who gets tested must also be changed.
“While teachers have to mandatorily get themselves tested, the same rule does not apply for students who can be asymptomatic carriers as they come from different areas and we do not know what the Covid-19 situation in that area is,” Tiwari said.
Vidarbha Junior College Teachers Association (VJUCTA) general secretary Ashok Gavhankar said testing for all is the only way forward. “We have been saying this all along that no one should be allowed back on campus till testing is done. But now we have a situation where almost 50 lakh students are back on campus in Maharashtra without mandatory testing. The risk to teachers and fellow students is enormous,” Gavhankar said.
STATISTICS: Attendance Figures. Feb 18. Nagpur district.
STD V-VIII: 88,924 (out of 3,78,022)
STD IX-XII: 1,25,698 (out of 2,72,870)