Dip in covid cases and as well as fatalities is though generating a debate over the reopening of schools for offline teaching after a long gape of three years but none else than the Lt Governor Manoj Sinha has not only categorically ruled out the possibility of lowering the guard against covid-19 pandemic but has also urged people of Jammu & Kashmir to follow covid containment guidelines more strictly than ever before. As far as the demands for reopening of schools is concerned the government won’t like to take any decision in haste till February end as the schools are still shut for winter vacations in Kashmir valley and as such it would like to see the covid situation after the reopening of schools in several states and union territories of the country in coming two weeks. Though schools have enough time to continue the ongoing process of the first dose of vaccination of the children of 15-18 years age group to ensure the vaccination of all the students in the eligible age group but there is no data available about the vaccination of the teaching staff of either the private or government schools in either Kashmir Valley or Jammu division. Wisdom demands that figures about the vaccinations of both the teaching staff and as well as the students of 15-18 years group are put in public domain for the satisfaction of the parents as the decisions of the parents to send their wards to schools would by all standards of understandabilities prove detrimental for the success of any initiative on reopening of schools in both Kashmir valley and Jammu division. Never forget that parents are more concerned about the health safety of their children than their education in schools and as such the consent of the parents is more crucial than the views of top functionaries of school education department and heads of private school associations of Kashmir valley and Jammu division for the reopening of schools in Jammu & Kashmir in March this year.
Since announcement for vaccination of children below 15 years age could further the causes of full restoration of the offline class room teaching in school premises, the challenge for the government is not only 100% vaccination of both the teaching staff and as well as the students of 15-18 years age group before the reopening of schools but also the implementation of covid containment guidelines in school premises and as well as early announcement of covid vaccination of children below 15 years age.
Even if schools are reopened with the consent of parents the onus for strict implementation of covid containment protocols would be on the school heads but not the parents and as such wisdom demands that reports about 100% vaccination of both the teaching staff and as well as the students of 15-18 years age group is sought from the Deputy Commissioners of all the concerned districts before taking any call on reopening schools of particular age groups. Since announcement for vaccination of children below 15 years age could further the causes of full restoration of the offline class room teaching in school premises, the challenge for the government is not only 100% vaccination of both the teaching staff and as well as the students of 15-18 years age group before the reopening of schools but also the implementation of covid containment guidelines in school premises and as well as early announcement of covid vaccination of children below 15 years age.
