Kakinada: Parents reluctant to send children to schools

Kakinada: Many parents in the East Godavari district are not ready to send their children to schools and colleges due to the prevalence of the Covid pandemic. Some of the school managements have not arranged the thermo scanners to test the students. Some of the parents submitted letters expressing under willingness to send their wards to the schools. Parents and elders in the families urged the school managements not to insist on the physical presence of students and continue online classes which are safe amidst the second wave of the novel coronavirus in the district. Owing to lack of furniture, there are instances like two students sharing a table as desk in government schools.

Psychologist Dr APJ Vinu lambasted the government for playing with the lives of the teachers as well as the students and causing risk to their lives. He also questioned how the government would come to the rescue of the teachers and the students in the event of getting affected by Covid. Vinu questioned whether the classes are more important than the lives.

Mc Laurin High School headmistress NVDL Kalyani said that the turnout of the school's children was considerably low. Biometric system is not functioning well. She attributed it to the server problem. The school student Katakam Rajesh complained that due non-functioning of biometric system, he could not get Jagananna Vidya Kanuka. PR Government Girls High School in-charge headmaster KV Surya Narayana stated that only 10 students are attending from Class X. In the school, the toilet facilities are in a dismal condition and there is awful stretch pervading in the surrounding. The girls as well as female teachers are finding it difficult to use toilets.

He said that the government has not provided any funds for containing Covid on their premises. It is a pity that the teachers themselves have borne the expenses of sanitary material as the government has not provided any funds for the infrastructure facilities including sanitary facilities. Moreover, the school is not provided with a thermal scanner.

He said that due to the recent rains, the school was inundated. Owing to lack of government support, the teachers have volunteered to meet the expenses pertaining to the siphoning of water from the premises. PR Government Girls High School students urged the government to take immediate steps to provide and improve the sanitary facilities in their school.

East Godavari District Education Officer S Abraham told 'The Hans India' that the attendance in the schools located in rural areas was good compared to urban areas. He said 42 percent of students attended schools on the second day, Tuesday.