Drawing from ICMR guidelines can allows us to quickly reopen schools
On July 20, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) recommended the reopening of primary schools first as it believed children could handle Covid-19 much better than older students. However, the apex body for biomedical research has stipulated, rightly so, that the entire school staff including teachers, administrative employees and bus drivers must be fully vaccinated. The ICMR may have decided to recommend the reopening in light of the findings of the latest national serosurvey, which reveals that two-third or 67.6 per cent of India’s population aged above 6 years have SARSCOV-2 or the novel coronavirus antibodies. This is the first indication that the government is considering to open educational institutes since they were closed in March 2020. ICMR’S stance offers a ray of hope and a sense of normalcy for our nation and society as a whole. Our children, more than anyone else, deserve to get back to a normal life and routine. However, reopening of schools at any level will require a clear road map that takes into account the health and safety of both students and teachers, leaving no room for complacency. Here are seven guidelines that will help schools navigate their way to opening day.
Accelerate double-dose vaccination for staff
Epidemiological data indicates that children are less at risk, so if teachers and school staff are vaccinated on priority, we can create conditions for safe re-opening of schools. The school authorities, aided by the state education department, must draw up a list of staff members who have got only their first vaccination and arrange for the second doses on a war-footing.
Fast-track clearance for globally-approved vaccines for 12+ students
Vaccinating children aged 12 years and above remains a challenge globally. It is critical for the government to fast-track approvals from multiple vaccine producers and launch a mass vaccination programme in schools, on the lines of the smallpox eradication programme of the 1970s.
District-wise school reopening based on case positivity rate
A universal decision on re-opening schools across the entire state or country will not work & has to be localised depending on the local situation and case rates.
Simple-to-implement Covid-19 protocols
Schools should open by following all SOPS. Social distancing in classrooms, similar seating arrangement in school buses, regular sanitization, cleaning and disinfection of school buildings are few basic protocols every school should follow. Parents should also support this move and follow guidelines provided by the school and government.
Self-declaration by schools on Covid-19 safe re-opening
Prior to re-opening, every school must be asked to submit a declaration confirming that the school is adhering to all
Covid-19-related safety measures. To ensure these protocols are followed at all times, random mystery audits should be conducted by the district educational officers and any complacency should be dealt with firmly. This will reduce the parents’ stress and make them feel confident about sending their children back to school.
Bridge courses to overcome last year’s learning loss
Considering the pandemic has disrupted the education cycle of students, especially in the K-12 segment, resulting in gaps in their learning levels, we at LEAD introduced a Bridge Course. The course is designed to provide a thorough recap of core concepts from previous grades with ample practice through a simple, easy-to-execute curriculum that includes videos, worksheets, quizzes and group activities.
Online learning as an alternative for parents who are hesitant to send kids to school
Only with parents’ consent, we can allow children to attend physical classes. Schools need to evolve and modify their pedagogy to adapt to the online environment to prevent further learning loss. For instance, LEAD Powered Schools have live and recorded classes, multimodal learning, homework, assessment, remedial analysis, practice, and gamification built-in, that makes online learning interactive and fun. The only thing remaining here is parental mindset, who in order to save fees hold back their children from attending online school, not realising the risk to their child’s future.
Over and above these factors, a hybrid model of education will be the first step into the schools of tomorrow. Hybrid learning is not just to make the education pattern interesting; it is also designed keeping in mind the feasibility of school administration to switch between online and offline mode.