Hyderabad : Schools not given promised Covid cover

Hyderabad : With utmost assurance to parents that Covid guidelines would be strictly followed, government schools were reopened from February 1. Sanitisation was carried out before the schools were reopened but now all protocols have been given a go by attributing to shortage of funds.

A random visit to a few schools by The Hans India revealed that adequate sanitizers and masks were not available to teaching and non-teaching staff as well as to the students. Situation in the districts is also no better, according to information obtained from districts.

This has resulted in teachers buying hand sanitizers on their own. The staff said that it was the responsibility of the state Medical and Health Department to supply sufficient quantities of corona safety kits to all schools but they have so far not received any such kits.

As per the safety norms and SOP (standard operating procedure), the schools should be sanitized twice a day and also supply sanitizers and masks to the staff and students regularly.

The medical authorities claim that sanitization is carried out twice a day. But a reality check indicated that it was the school staff like 'ayahs' who are cleaning the schools every day before the classes begin.

But since they are not trained, they do not even know what kind of material or chemicals are to be used and in what quantity. As a result no proper sanitation is taking place.

"Though it is the responsibility of the health workers to sanitise the schools every day, no worker comes to the school," said Principal of Zilla Parishad High School at Shamshiguda area in Kukatpally Assembly constituency.

"The total attendance of the school now is 400 students from ninth and tenth class. The school had received sanitizing material only once. For the last ten days the school has been waiting for fresh stock of chemicals and equipment to sanitise the school," he said.

The school authorities rue that without sanitizing the classes daily, conducting classes is a risky affair. The government, they said, had not released any funds ever since the pandemic broke.

Though the schools have taken this issue to the notice of senior officials of the Education department, there has been no positive response so far, they said. With no masks and proper sanitisation of the premises, parents are now having second thoughts on sending the students to the schools.

Some of them had stopped sending their children, a principal claimed. When contacted, the Health department officials admitted that many schools were not provided with sanitizers due to various reasons which includes lack of planning and coordination between Education and Health departments after reopening the high schools. It is to be seen when these issues would be sorted out.