SHOULD SCHOOLS IN MUMBAI REOPEN?

After remaining closed for nearly 10 months Schools and junior colleges for Classes 5 to 12 have fully re opened in parts of Maharashtra from January 2021 based on the C OVID -19 situation in respective areas. The Brih an mumbai Municipal Corporation (B MC ), however, still maintained that schools and colleges in Mumbai will stay shut "till further orders ". Education experts have said that the prolonged closure could result in along-term learning loss and disparity as a large section of students without access to online learning continue to remain disc on ne ct ed.FPJ asked its readers-' Should schools in Mumbai now be permitted to re open so that students from middle and higher classes can get back into the classroom?' Here’ s what a cross-section of Mumbai karshad to say:

We need to have a balanced approach in order to ensure our students do not suffer academically, but also that they do not get infected when we already have vaccines. The classes must continue online.

— Zain Shroff, advocate

Absolutely, schools should reopen now. The quality of education has been largely affected due to online schooling, as students have no personal attention. The idea of being competitive, discipline and most importantly, enjoying studying with classmates is slowly diminishing.

— Nikit Patil, marine engineer

No! Schools should not be reopened considering the number of cases are on the rise now. I have been reading about this in the media that cases have increased since the train services have resumed for all. So the state government and BMC should rethink before opening schools. If they still go ahead and reopen the schools, then there should be proper safety measures in place.

— Deepika Margale, model

According to me, it is about time that schools in Mumbai reopen, but in a phased manner. It is now time that after prolonged online school sessions, students of middle and higher classes must be once again exposed to offline teaching-learning like in the pre-COVID19 times, but while keeping stringent safety protocol in place.

— Vishwanath Shetty, mechanical engineer

In my opinion I don't think it's a good Idea to reopen schools. For me, my kids' health is a priority as now most schools have air-conditioned classrooms with little ventilation or open windows. Due to these factors, chances of spread and contracting COVID-19 infection becomes very high. As kids are homeschooled these days or have been attending online sessions, I feel that is a safer option than going back to school again, at least until they get the vaccines shot or things are completely back to normal.

— Neha Jathar, creative head

Definitely, the schools in Mumbai should now like their counterparts in the rest of Maharashtra should be reopen as soon as possible. It is high time for students, as the entire year has already goneby without physical schooling and students have missed so much. Also, not everyone has access to online studies.

— Ajay Kshirsagar, Worli resident

In the wake of the pandemic, the schools have shifted their paradigm from physical teaching to online schooling. It was a good lesson for everyone. Especially the education system, which needs better infrastructure just like the health sector. Since the schools were shut since almost a year, the mentality of students has changed as well.

— Swati Patil, advocate

I believe this decision should be taken at the management level. Those schools which have enough resources to continue online classes and did not face any issue during lockdown should continue. Whereas, schools that have poor resources and have students from economically backward sections, who cannot afford tools required for online class, should reopen.

— Rasika Shinde, student

I feel that till the COVID-19 vaccine is available to the children, it would not be a good idea to allow children to go to schools/ junior colleges as this would be very risky for children. I think the majority of parents would not be in favour of resuming physical schooling amidst the scare still lurking upon. Also I do not know how the schools would ensure social distancing and hygiene with so many students if they are permitted to attend schools.

— Asha S, housewife

Yes, definitely. When everything else is getting back to normal, then why not schools? They are playing with their friends, going out of station with families, eating out at the restaurants and visiting other crowded areas. So keeping schools closed now hardly makes any sense. Above all, there are limitations in online schooling, kids always benefit with physical learning as compared to online where they miss out on vital physical activities. Also, they would enjoy mingling with their fellow classmates, which is currently not possible due to online sessions I feel.

— Jayna Shah, entrepreneur

I don't think reopening schools for everyone is a good idea unless everyone gets the vaccine shot. The local trains have resumed in a phased manner and after that we have witnessed a slight spike in the number of cases in the city. The fluctuation in the number of cases reported daily is worrisome and is kind of an indication that we need to rethink on the reopening of schools. Children are vulnerable section.

— Martin R ebello, musician