Karnataka Government Seeks Parents, Teachers' Opinion On Reopening Schools

One question that has been on the mind of millions of families across India - when will the schools reopen in this time of COVID-19? Schools and other educational institutes in the country have been shut since late March due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.

The Karnataka government has now said that it is seeking suggestions from parents and schools to find an answer to the question.

Karnataka Education Minister Suresh Kumar has said that next week, more than a lakh schools in the state will hold three days of discussions between parents and teachers on when to re-open schools for nursery and primary classes, higher primary classes and high school classes.

"We have issued a circular to all the schools - government, private and aided schools to hold parent-teacher meetings on June 10,11 and12. It is a massive exercise. So, over a lakh schools will have their parent teacher meetings. In the case of boarding schools, the school development committee will also attend," Mr Kumar told NDTV.

The state has asked the parents and teachers to address three specific questions regarding reopening of schools.

"When should the schools start and should there be different standards for pupils from LKG (Lower Kindergarten), UKG (Upper Kindergarten) and high school? The second thing on which we are seeking their opinion is how to keep distance during extra-curricular activities such as sports and cultural events. The third question is on the nature of the classes - whether they should take place in shifts or on alternate days," the Karnataka Education Minister listed the three questions of the state government.

Once all this information is collected, the gist of the suggestions will be sent to the Central government.

The union government, in its recent guidelines, had asked state governments to hold consultation at school, college, training, and coaching institutions-level with parents and other stakeholders, and based on the feedback, a decision on re-opening them would be taken.

At present, it looks like the classes for the younger children would be the last to reopen.

Mr Kumar said, "Parents of little children such as those in LKG, UKG and 1st standard students are not ready to send their children to schools as of now."

Over the weekend, the Ministry of Home Affairs had said that a decision on reopening of schools would be taken in July after the assessment of the status of COVID-19.