Pvt. schools delay reopening due to poor response from parents

Many plan to postpone on-campus classes for IX and X to later next week

Though the State government has declared that schools should hold classes on campus for PU students and those in classes IX to XII from August 23, many private school managements are unlikely to open their doors citing tepid response from worried parents. Instead, they plan to start offline classes for the new 2021-22 academic year in a phased manner.

Central board schools, for instance, are planning to conduct classes only for students in XI and XII from Monday, after which they will take a decision on classes IX and X. They will most likely resume only later next week.

Mansoor Ali Khan, general secretary of Management of Independent CBSE Schools Association, said they sent survey forms to obtain consent from parents, as per the Government Order. However, only 30% of parents were willing to send their children to school, as they were worried about a possible third wave of COVID-19. “So instead of starting all classes on Monday, we will open in a phased manner to build confidence among students and parents. We will send information of all safety measures that we have undertaken so that they are assured and send their children back to school,” he said.

Other private schools have decided not to commence regular classes on campus, and instead only conduct practicals. Dakshayini Kanna, principal, Harvest International School, said that around 84% of parents are not ready to send their children to school. “With this response, we are unsure of how to go about conducting classes. We will have our school management committee’s meeting on Saturday to take a final call on the matter,” she said. One option Ms. Kanna is considering is resuming only practical classes and calling students to the campus to give their tests and examinations. “We want to call students in a staggered manner,” she said.

Ramitha Ramachandran, principal of School of India, said the management has decided to reopen for practical classes first. “There is also uncertainty on whether schools will remain open with predictions of the third wave,” she said.

Other schools like Little Flower Public School hope to counsel parents and allay their fears. Principals and teachers also expressed concern about conducting offline classes as well as online classes simultaneously.

Govt. school students

Unlike their peers in private schools, students in government schools and PU colleges are hoping that offline classes will be conducted smoothly without any hitch. Many did not have access to devices or e-resources and are hoping to make up for lost time. Government schools are expected to reopen classes IX and X as well as PU colleges from Monday.

H.K. Manjunath, president, High School Assistant Masters’ Association, said that they are expecting attendance of over 50%. “However, we were not able to get in touch with a few students as they had moved to other parts of the State,” he said.

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