Ensuring the maintenance of safety guidelines will be the key challenge in the coming days as a section of students and teachers returned to school campuses in Ernakulam district on Monday after a long break induced by the pandemic crisis.
The attendance in government and aided schools was better than that in unaided institutions going by the initial feedback from stakeholders. However, the authorities have pointed out that it could not be assessed properly as the schools were operating in batches.
Both parents and children remained anxious on the first day of reopening as the ‘new normal’ included wearing masks and physical distancing inside the classroom and outside.
Teachers also shared a similar concern as they have to be extra cautious to avoid the possibility of a spread or formation of clusters within the campuses.
Industries Minister P. Rajeeve, who inaugurated the district-level ‘praveshanotsavam’ online, stressed the need to comply with the safety guidelines while continuing with the offline mode of learning.
The first day was devoted mainly for educating children on the safety and health protocols prescribed by the Education and Health departments. Principals of various schools spoke to the students and told them not to lower their guard. Children having co-morbidities and experiencing cold and fever symptoms were told to remain at home till they recovered.
The authorities said many differently abled children preferred to stay at home even as some parents conveyed their wish to send the children to schools after taking stock of the situation. Ernakulam Deputy Director of Education Honey G. Alexander said regular assessment and monitoring would be conducted to ensure the safety of students and teachers.
Unaided managements cited the non-availability of school buses for the low turnout in most schools. Some schools are planning to operate buses in the coming days, if the parents agree to meet the hike in bus fee following the rise in fuel prices. The associations of managements also urged the government to relax the norm of one student per seat to bring in more students to campuses.