Lockdown curbs till Oct 31, schools stay shut
CHENNAI: Schools in Tamil Nadu cannot reopen from October 1 even for Classes 10, 11 and 12 as the government has withheld the GO permitting students to voluntarily seek teachers’ guidance by going to schools.
Announcing the change as part of the revised unlock measures till October 31, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Tuesday stated, “Considering the safety of the students and the prevailing COVID-19 scenario, the decision to allow students to school has been put on hold.” Earlier, according to the Government Orders issued on August 29 and September 8, students from Classes 10 to 12, who were willing, were permitted to go to school from October 1.
As part of the unlock measures, hotels and restaurants are permitted to function from 6 am to 9 pm. Parcel services will be permitted till 10 pm, a release stated. However, the ban on educational institutions, theatres, malls, amusement parks, zoos, museums, beaches, tourist places, religious, political meetings and suburban trains continue.
The Chief Minister held meetings with District Collectors and health experts on Tuesday to obtain their inputs on the extension of lockdown. The number of flights allowed to operate in a day has been increased from 50 to 100 until October 31.
The State has also permitted 100 people to work in movie shootings but has banned the public from watching the shoots. Training institutions owned by the government and other government agencies and weekly markets in rural and urban areas will also be allowed.
CHENNAI: Even as the State government put on hold the plan to permit schools to reopen Classes 10 to 12, parents of students from government and private schools offered divergent views on the matter. While private school managements claim that most parents are willing to send their children, the response from parents of government school students have been poor.
After the Centre issued guidelines, the State government had proposed allowing students from Classes 10 to 12 to come to schools on voluntary basis from October 1 after getting written consent from the parents. The School Education Department, too, had permitted 50 per cent teachers to work, except at schools inside containment zones.
Following this, consent forms were distributed to all parents seeking their willingness to send their children to schools.
According to PK Ilamaran, president, Tamil Nadu Teachers’ Association, the response from parents was poor till now. “No one called us to know the status with regard to the government order,” he added.
“We have sent the consent forms to all the parents. Through messages, we have asked the parents who were willing to send their children to school to bring their forms on October 1. But it appears that not many children would be coming to school,” Ilamaran said. He pointed out that as per the government order, the schools would be kept open even for a single student who comes to clarify his/her doubts with the teacher.
This stands in stark contrast with the claims by private school managements in the State. According to KR Nandhakumar, general secretary of Tamil Nadu Nursery, Primary, Matriculation, Higher Secondary, and CBSE Schools’ Association, more than 90 per cent of the parents want schools to be reopened at the earliest.
“Though private schools have already received feedback during online classes from the parents who evinced interest in sending their children to the institutions, the private school managements will obtain parents’ willingness through the consent forms,” he added.
Echoing similar views, DC Elangovan, secretary of the Federation of Associations of Private Schools in Tamil Nadu, said that the response from parents on sending their children was very good. “To discuss the preparedness to reopen schools from October 1, a meeting of the representatives is being organised,” he added.
We have sent the consent forms to all the parents. Through messages, we have asked the parents who were willing to send their children to school to bring their forms on October 1. But it appears that not many children would be coming to school
—PK Ilamaran, President, Tamil Nadu Teachers’ Association