When will the schools in Jammu Kashmir open? July month closed today and the Jammu Kashmir Administration vide its order 52 dated 25.07.2021 has permitted government as well as private educational institutions to seek personal attendance of limited vaccinated staff for administrative purpose as it allowed higher educational institutions and skill development centres reopening in a phased manner for onsite learning after July 31 subject to the vaccination status of students and staff.
How to reopen the schools is a sensitive and ticklish matter for both union and state governments. The Administration may assess the ground situations and also seeks suggestions that may be relevant only at specific local levels for which there are schools and parents associations. Thus, Administration and schools in Union Territory should first come out with their specific safety measures before seeking suggestions from other interested parties.
Fortunately, the children in general were successful in dealing with the virus during the first and second wave of Covid-19. Now, we have reasonably good information about the infection in relation to children, and therefore, schools could be reopened with safety measures.
But, the parents in Jammu Kashmir on the other hand know their governments and the school administrations well which they suspect lacking in performance and going back from their commitments. They feel their children may not be safe in schools, which the school administrations and the governments are not able to win their confidence to send them to schools.
The second wave of Covid-19 in our UT is by and large under control, but there is a prediction of the third wave that may strike in August end and rise to its peak in September 2021.
We should keep in mind that reopening school is necessary for several reasons. Online classes are not that much beneficial as is supposed by many because the digital divide among the rich and the poor students is too high to bridge in near future. The students from the poor families and those who live in the areas having very poor internet and electricity connectivity have not been able to access the online classes, despite the boastful statements of the government about having made arrangements for online classes. Another most peculiar problem is faced by the students of the households in which even adults do not know how to handle the computer or mobile sets for online classes even if they somehow purchased them. Many of the students even now do not have access to any such electronic device due to poverty. Government has also failed to provide such gadgets to them, or many cannot even bear the cost of the internet connections.
The situation has become worse in the last 16 months of school closure. We cannot afford to lose a generation. A recent study by the Azim Premji University has estimated that 92 per cent of children between class 2 and 6 have lost their language skills and 82 per cent have lost their math skills. Though the study sample did not cover Jammu Kashmir but the situation and findings at national level is similar to J&K too. It should serve as an example of the loss due to closure of schools.
Due to closure of schools, mid-day meals have also been stopped which is causing malnutrition among millions needful. Loss of education and nutrition at this foundational stage has reached an alarming level. That is why reopening for lower classes should be the first priority. Reopening of higher classes up to 12 should be the second priority. Since the students of upper classes are 18+, they can be allowed in the physical classes with vaccination and safety measures such as masks and proper physical distancing.
Though education is a state subject we cannot shift the full accountability to them. The Centre must appoint a high powered committee to look into all the issues relating to reopening schools and other educational institutions and to provide technical and financial assistance prior to or post reopening. We may also need to devise new ways and means to enable students to cover up their educational loss for which special teachers training programmes will also be required.
