OFFLINE TEACHING FOR CLASS 1 TO 5 RESUMES IN UP TODAY

LUCKNOW : Offline teaching for classes 1 to 5 will resume across the state on Wednesday after a long gap caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The physical classes for grades 6 to 12 began on August 24 and for 9 to 12 on August 16. The state basic education department has issued a number of directives.

LUCKNOW: Offline teaching for classes 1 to 5 will resume across the state on Wednesday after a long gap caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The physical classes for grades 6 to 12 began on August 24 and for 9 to 12 on August 16.

The state basic education department has issued a number of directives.

The state government has made it mandatory for parents of class 1 to 5 students to submit a written consent form before sending their children to school as they open for offline classes. The state government has released a format of the consent form to be signed by the parents that includes an undertaking that the school administration will not be held responsible if the child or the family members get infected by Covid-19 once school begins. As per the consent form, the parents will have to ensure that their children are not suffering from high temperature, a symptom of Covid-19 infection, or are infected by Covid-19 before sending them to school. Hiding this information may lead to action against the parents. The parents have been asked to check that the temperature of their schoolgoing child is below 100 degree Fahrenheit and he or she doesn’t have any other symptom of Covid-19.

The consent form also states that the school administration and the government are taking measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19 infection but they can’t guarantee that students will not catch the infection.

“Schools are ready to welcome tiny tots. Wearing mask is compulsory for all. Am sure kids are eagerly waiting to come to school,” said Yatika Pundir, assistant teacher of a primary school at Kamaalpur in Meerut.

“All the classrooms and the doors of the school have been decorated with balloons. Full arrangements have been made for masks and sanitisers. Such seating arrangements have been made in the classrooms so that children can be at a distance of two yards from one another and follow corona protocols. Small gifts and toffees have been arranged for all the children along with welcome cards. Teachers are excited to meet their students,” said Deepshikha Sharma of the primary school at Roja Jalalpur in Gautam Buddh Nagar. A number of parents, however, are unwilling to send their kids to school because there’s no vaccine available for children.

Vineet Gupta has decided not to send his children Raghav Gupta of class 5 and Anubhav Gupta of class 1 to school “because the Covid-19 situation is still prevailing”. He said the government should revisit the decision of reopening the primary sections.