Telangana: Can govt make schools follow Covid norms?

Hyderabad: Has the State government buckled under pressure from the teachers' unions and the private school managements, and given its nod for the physical reopening of the schools for Classes VI to VIII from February 24?

Can the 20,324 schools given permission for reopening physical classrooms fully meet Covid safety guidelines such as thorough sanitisation of classrooms within a five-day window given to them?

These are some doubts expressed by parents and civil society groups which say there is something more than meets the eye in government decision. They strongly suspect the pressure of teachers' unions and private school managements. They point out the government order which gave just 12 to 15 hour time-frame for starting physical reopening of schools for Classes VI to VIII.

There are 20,324 schools in the government, private and welfare schools with about 17.1 lakh children studying in classes VI to VIII.

Even education department officials are perplexed. "Considering each class has two sections, then 1, 21,944 school rooms have to exist for the physical reopening. Abiding by Covid guidelines issued by the education department means the schools need double the number of existing school rooms to maintain physical distance norms. Or else, they will have to go for shift system," they said on condition of anonymity.

An official says every day around 30,486 schools have to be thoroughly sanitised within the five-day window notified by the government, assuming an average requirement of 1, 21,944 school rooms for the physical reopening. Further, meeting the Covid norms would call for drastic rise in classroom strength. And, it comes to anywhere between 30,000 and 50,000 school rooms which need to be sanitised every day.

Balala Hakkula Sankshema Sangam (BHSS) state president Dr Gundu Krishnaiah and State general secretary Enjamoori Raghunandan said that the State government should have given enough time for sanitisation of school premises and classrooms, which is a humongous task. Without ensuring the same, the government cannot simply ask parents to send their wards to schools, they observed.

Every class should have 20 students as per the norms. But, several schools may not have benches and other infrastructure, and the government needs to step in to ensure safety of children, they added. The BHSS suggests classes on alternate days and urges the government to give top priority to the safety and security of the students. They allege the government seemed to have given in to the demands of private school managements and private teachers given the ongoing campaign for MLC elections.