As COVID cases continue to rise, 71% parents not willing to send wards to school: Survey

Only 28 per cent of parents are in the favour of schools reopening in the calendar year 2020 before December 31, while 34 per cent feel they should open only in the next academic year or April 2021, as per the survey.

As the government has started reopening schools on a voluntary basis, the number of parents willing to send their children to school has dropped even further. According to the latest report by LocalCircles – a community social media platform — 71 per cent of parents surveyed across India is not willing to send their kids to school while nine per cent were unsure about it.

The number of parents willing to send their children to schools has dropped from 23 per cent in August to 20 per cent in September, as per the report. Consider the rising cases of pandemic and the upcoming festive season, 32 per cent parents said schools should open till December 31, while 34 per cent said the government should not open schools for this academic year – which is till March/April 2021. Only seven per cent were in favour of reopening schools from October 1.

Only 28 per cent of parents are in the favour of schools reopening in the calendar year 2020 before December 31, while 34 per cent feel they should open only in the next academic year or April 2021, as per the survey.

Apart from the upcoming festivals in October and November, parents in North India, especially Delhi-NCR are concerned about the upcoming smog season. Last year, after the PM 2.5 touched 900 in Delhi and NCR cities, 74 per cent parents had demanded that the government announces a ‘smog break’ for schools from November 1 -20 each year, as per the report.

The total number of coronavirus infections in India are at 62,25,764. Of the total, as many as 97,497 people have lost their lives becuase of the pandemic while 9,40,441 cases are still active in the country. Schools and other educational institutes across India have been shut since mid-March due to the pandemic.

? The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and stay updated with the latest headlines

For all the latest Education News, download Indian Express App.

Source: Read Full Article