Till when will education be inferior to politics in India?

According to the World Bank Global Education Director, closing schools in view of the pandemic should be the last resort. It is quite inexplicable to see the educational institutions are closed while restaurants, bars and shopping malls are allowed to function uninterruptedly. Reopening schools has never caused a surge in coronavirus cases. As Covid cases have been surging in India, many states decided to shut educational institutions urging the managements to go on with online classes.

The education system in India has gone haphazard immediately after the corona outbreak. It has been bouncing back slowly into normalcy since the renewal of offline classes. Students have been almost on the track. The closer of educational institutions in view the third wave of pandemic has played spoilsport on children's life. Contrary to it, the decision of the Election Commission allowing political parties of the five poll-bound states to hold indoor meetings up to 300 people or 50% of the venue's capacity is quite mystical and ridiculing.

Formal and informal social gatherings have been in full swing across the country. Is education inferior to politics? Are children more vulnerable to the epidemics than the elders? Education plays vital role in determining the future of a society than the filthy vote- bank politics.

When we consider the plight of the teachers working in unaided schools, we will be taken aback to know how they manage to pull through the crises. People from all walks of life, except the teachers of the unaided schools, are so comfortable in their own skin to have no issues in managing the day-to-day life. The teachers' plight is going from bad to worse due to the inconsistency of their regular income. They are on the verge of uncertainty and ruin . They often bear the brunt of the fury of the pandemic.

The Centre and the States cast a cold eye on this issue. The government concerned of every state should venture to establish more feasible and sophisticated health care system by providing the required infrastructural facilities in hospitals to deal any untoward situation rather than hindering the educational process. Online education should be the last resort to manage such crises.

Prabhakaran Vallath,Vatakara (Kerala)