Schools gear up for reopening; await consent from parents

With the education minister of Maharashtra announcing the reopening of schools from October 4, for 5-8 Class in rural and 8-12 in urban, the schools in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad are prepping up to welcome the students.

Renuka Suryavanshi 

Sanitising the premises, maintaining social distancing, mandatory vaccination for the staff, are some of the protocols suggested by the state government. 

Pune Pulse spoke to a few schools from the Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad city on their preparation. 

Monica Thadaney, director, Caelum High School in Undri said, “The school staff is excited to welcome children after a gap of one and half year. Our staff is vaccinated and we are following all the protocols suggested by the government. I am starting the school only for class 9 -10 in the first week. I feel that other schools should reopen too as the children have already been through deep mental health issues in the last one and half years.” 

Dr Farah Rais, CEO and Trustee, Rims International School & Boston World School in Undri said, “Parents consent is important to us. We are expecting that atleast 80 percent of the parents give their consent only then the offline classes will be conducted. Each classroom will have only 20 children. We won’t compromise on the safety of our children. We will ensure that children don’t share their tiffin. No extra curricular activities at the moment shall be allowed. All protocols set by the state government are being followed by us.” 

Sujata Sharma, principal, RIMS international School (IGCSE), NIBM road, Kondhwa stated that the school is ready with the necessary precautions as suggested by the state government. She further informed that the school is waiting for any detailed SOP’s which Pune Municipal Corporation would share. 

Ishrat Auti, vice president and founder of Pearl drops High School said, “We are awaiting parents consent which is made mandatory by the education department. I am sure most of the parents will give their consent and for those who are hesitant to send their children to the school the online sessions will be streamed live while the offline sessions are being conducted. We are adhering to all the protocols suggested by the civic body as well as education department.”

In the weekly review meeting held at the Council Hall in Pune, deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar also informed that the education officer must share the SOP’s with the Zilla Parishad schools as well as the private schools. He also mentioned that Covid19 is still present and we must all cooperate and follow the guidelines issued by the state health department. Pawar said that students should wear masks, maintain social distancing, and while the children are in their classroom, they must maintain social distancing.  

Padma Jose, principal, Mount Litera School in Wakad said, “Our schedule for online classes and examinations is already set. We have exams till October 30. We shall probably start the school post Diwali. Also for us the consent of the parents to send their child to the school matters a lot. We shall reopen tentatively only after Diwali looking at our current schedule which is already set for this term.” 

Rajesh Patil, commissioner, Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation and Vikram Kumar, commissioner, Pune Municipal Corporation recently issued an advisory for the schools to follow as they reopen on October 4, to begin classes for Class 8-12 in urban areas. 
SOP’s shared by the sports and education department on August 10  and 24 September’s government GR must be followed by all the schools. 

Schools must keep thermometer, thermal scanner, sanitizer, pulse oximeter, soap, water handy for use. 

School transport must be sanitised properly and school administration must adhere to the cleanliness. 

Vaccination of all staff must be done. RTPCR negative test report of the staff of latest 48 hours must be reported at the school office

Physical distancing must be Maintained in the classroom as well as staff room.

Informative posters informing use of masks, sanitisers, social distancing must be displayed in the school

Entry and exit must be separate.

Written consent of the parents to send their child to school must be taken by the administration

School premises must be cleaned everyday and sanitised. Principal of the school must look after this.
School transport must be sanitised atleast twice in a day.

Varsha Gaikwad, education minister, Maharashtra government recently held a meeting with the education department officers and many experts discussing on various aspects before opening the schools. She said, “SCERT Maharashtra will prepare an action plan & help ground level officials to overcome any practical hurdles to resumption of physical classes. I have instructed education officers to personally visit schools & monitor reopening. For a smooth transition to physical classes, effective coordination with health department, local administration will have to be maintained. We are committed to providing a conducive atmosphere to students,many among whom will be returning to class after a year and a half.”