Visakhapatnam: Parents express concern over sending their wards to school

Visakhapatnam: A couple of incidents in which school children contracted the dreaded coronavirus infection in the wake of rise in the cases again cause worry to parents and they are in a dilemma whether to send their wards to school or not.

In Tirumala, 57 students at Veda Vignana Peetham run by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) tested positive for Covid-19.

A week before, four students studying at Zilla Parishad Girls High School, Gopalapatnam, Visakhapatnam tested positive for coronavirus. The result has literally pushed parents to opt for home quarantine for 14 days both for themselves and for the students studying in the same class.

"We have instructed the management to sanitise the premises and keep a close tab on the patients' contacts. Teachers and parents have also been advised to go for 14-day quarantine. Sanitisation measures and Covid-19 safety protocols are being strictly followed in the institutions," says N Prem Kumar, Deputy District Education Officer, Urban.

Though a major part of this academic year was spent virtually, the downward curve of the cases registered earlier encouraged many parents to go for offline classes for their children by submitting a consent letter to the school management.

But with the caseload gradually rising in recent days, moms and dads are now worried a lot to send their wards to schools.

However, when it comes to following safety protocols, not many are seen with a face mask these days. Even maintaining social distancing and washing hands at frequent intervals which used to be the practice earlier have come down to a large extent now. "The school auto-rickshaw that we engage for our two kids is generally packed. Since we don't have the option of online classes, we are left with no other choice than to allow our sons to attend classes in person," shares V Hema Latha, a parent at HB Colony.

Meanwhile, a number of parents have appealed to the school management to resume online classes for the rest of the academic year. "We have already received requests from parents to resume virtual classes. After consulting with the stakeholders, a decision will be taken soon," says N Vallisnath, Principal of Visakha Valley School.

As Visakhapatnam witnesses a rise in the active coronavirus caseload over the past few days, parents prefer to opt for virtual classes again rather than sending their children to attend classes in person.