OPEN HOUSE: DO YOU THINK IT IS ADVISABLE TO SHUT ALL SCHOOLS TO CONTAIN FURTHER SPREAD OF CONTAGION? Change in routine must if schools stay open School closures have clear negative impact on education and the overall economy. It is obviously clear that school staff and children are the ones who are likely at the risk to get infected. I am a student and in my opinion shutting of schools will bring disruption to education. Taking precautions by wearing masks and sanitising working areas regularly can bring a relief for all of us. Schools closure for months has already hit education. Students are still struggling to catch up and cover the lost semesters. Moreover if schools are closed working parents will have much less time to supervise their kids. Many parents cannot manage to provide e- learning to children as the pandemic has affected people financially. If schools remain open then a change in routine increase in social distancing more and regular hand-washing can be done. Yet again the governments poor planning and lack of strictness towards distancing in tourists attraction are making this difficult situation unnecessarily worse. Locals believe that the relaxation in crowded areas such as tourist spots should be tightened. Khushpreet Kaur Brar Ever since the government allowed the opening of colleges and schools Punjab has registered a steep rise in the number of positive cases. Tribune photo: Vishal Kumar Better to opt for digital education It is my suggestion to shut the school because in schools preventive measures are not taken carefully by children. It is better to shut down the school and start online exam and classes for children up to Class X. Jaswinder Kairon All kind of gatherings should be avoided No doubt Covid cases are accentuating in Punjab but this disease is not confined to students and teachers only. Hence it is not advisable to close down educational institutions only. We should take this pandemic as an opportunity which political/religious leaders and social reformist can only lead. Since the outbreak from local bodies to state assemblies election are held regularly which attract lot of people in form of rallies and road shows. Thus they throw to wind all norms like wearing of masks keeping a distance and washing of hands. But as the elections provide bread and butter to the political class hence they play with life of the general public. Leadership is practical not so much in words as in attitude and in action. Also John C Maxwell said “a leader is who knows the way goes the way and shows the way.” Political parties should avoid this expenditure and confine themselves for political propaganda on social media or state sponsored Doordarshan only. On similar lines religious congregations should be avoided and social activists should come forward to convince general public for limited number of guests at social gatherings. Vaccination drive should be followed more rigorously and preventive measures like wearing of masks distancing and washing of hands should be in place for all time to come. Harsh N Johar Only affected schools should be closed and thoroughly sanitised before they are re-opened because it is feared that physical classes in such schools will be fraught with danger. Studies can wait but health cant In my opinion primary schools need to be closed due to rising cases in Punjab. The immunity of children is weak to fight the Covid-19. Even after taking all the precautions the cases are still rising in Punjab. Study can wait but health cant. Health should be the first priority. Shiladitya Chatterjee Display vaccinated family names Even more than schools we should be worried about religious places where they care two hoots for physical distance and employees are posted to get the devotees unmasked lest the deity be displeased. We often see pictures of policemen posing mask-less before the camera. It sends a wrong signal. This does not in any way reduce the importance of schools or in other words our next generation. On the other hand if the adults frequenting the institution and school staff viz teachers are vaccinated on a priority basis exposure to the virus would be quite limited for which hand-washing facilities may be extended and improved. Small bottles of sanitisers should be made available to all kids in addition to the essential wetting at the entry gate. I am also concerned over avoidable wastage of water. Whether or not schools should be closed however should not be left to public opinion. It is a very serious issue but I think herd immunity against this microbe is now comparatively better than it was in the previous summer. Moreover closure will not guarantee seclusion of the scholars. They will flit about in grounds streets markets and where not. Dependable and widely available testing for Covid-19 and vaccination is the only way out. Meanwhile we should hope to have vaccinated groups like office staff. They can then move about freely among themselves especially without the mask but only in that independent environment. For moving out wearing a mask must remain for some more time. Parents should be convinced to get the jab and perhaps names of vaccinated families displayed in order to encourage others. It is an unprecedented hour in the history of mankind. No one is doing anyone any favour by washing hands and by wearing a mask. I am reminded of the 1940s when we primary school kids were inoculated at school with superficial incisions with a sharp and pointed knife and sent home with a laddu or two each. That looked after the chances of any one crying. And there were baseless rumours that children were being bled there. There are rumours galore even now. But the superspeed at which people are being vaccinated is another record of sorts and bodes well for the healthcare system. So we need not close the schools but shouldnt lower the guard. It is not a mistake to be over careful. Prof Mohan Singh Only affected schools should be shut Schools have re-opened after remaining closed for almost a year. They and the School education boards have announced their schedule for conducting session-ending examinations offline. In the prevailing scenario it is not desirable to shut all schools though a number of students and teachers are said to have got infected. Only the affected schools should be closed for a few days and should be thoroughly sanitised before they are re-opened because it is feared that physical classes in such schools will be fraught with danger as it may cause an additional surge in cases. Teachers of such institutions should be frequently tested and inoculated. Rather teachers of all government and private schools should be vaccinated on priority basis. Schools have recently re-opened in UK where the re- opening has come as a huge relief to millions of parents who have spent months juggling work and full time childcare. It is the same here. However the conditions are that primary school children have to follow Covid rules such as not socialising with children outside a strictly defined bubble staggered arrivals and departures and frequent hand-washing. The requirements for secondary school pupils are more onerous as they are being mass tested and are required to wear face coverings in the class. Couldnt it be done here in our schools? All government offices buses and trains are working full time and running to capacity respectively with precautions (people are flouting Covid norms with impunity). Why cant the same be carried out in schools? Students can be called to attend schools on odd-even basis to maintain distancing. The young scholars have faced a plethora of difficulties during the so-called digital session. They should be permitted to adapt to the prevailing circumstances. Keeping in mind the plus and minus points of every child from every strata of society it is time not to close all the schools. If proper ventilation regular cleaning and disinfecting all schools facilities including means of transport thermal screening treatment and monitoring on day to day basis along with mask-wearing hand-washing and physical distancing on school campuses can be ensured then there is no need to worry as things will slot into place. Tarsem S Bumrah Roll back Decision to open schools Ever since the opening of colleges and schools has been allowed by the government Punjab has registered a steep rise in positive cases. It is an irony that despite the Covid guidelines the management of school and colleges didnt follow the set protocols before opening the schools. Even teachers and non-teaching staff failed to get tested thus becoming super-spreaders of deadly virus endangering the lives of young students. It is high time that keeping in view of the sudden spike in positive cases across the country Punjab is among five states accounting 86 per cent of total caseload. The decision to open educational institutions must be rolled back with immediate effect to save lives of younger generation. Anil Vinayak Why everyone is after education sector? Certain people hold the perspective that schools and colleges should remain closed once again owing to surge in Covid cases among students and teachers. However this is not the solution to curb the virus. Every individual should be responsible to the Covid norms and following it. Students have already encountered massive afflictions in the studies during online sessions. Now study institutes have opened for the students for their harmonious and holistic growth. In such a situation schools and colleges should remain open since coronavirus will stay with us for long. Everybody is well acquainted with the fact on how to live in Covid times. Students are mature enough to understand the current situation and follow the norms. I would like to emphasise on other sectors like banks Police Department improvement trust etc where there are Covid cases but nobody says to shut the offices. Now the question is: Why everyone is after education sector? Students are the future of the nation. Hence there is no point to shut the schools and colleges. Students are taking precautions and will take in future also. Saahil Hans Safety of students is of utmost importance In order to contain further spread it is very much positively advisable to shut all schools. For more months only online classes should be allowed to be in schools education curriculum. Teachers are guides for students and in case they keep on getting infected by the virus then who will cater to students needs of getting education from them in future? On the other hand if students get infected from virus it becomes a cause of major tension not only for parents but also for teachers of the school. So safety of both teachers as well as students is needed. The only way out for this is to shut all schools indefinitely until virus is completely weeded out. Closure of all schools will help a great deal in preventing the spread in schools as there would be no contact interaction between students and teachers and as virus cannot spread in empty spaces they will be ultimately saved in this manner from being infected by virus. Sanjay Chawla Wait until vaccination drive is completed Yes schools should be closed as every day we are hearing news about Covid-19 cases in children and teachers in schools. The session is just about to end so it is not required to put the lives of people in danger. Schools must be shut till the vaccination process is completed successfully as many people are reluctant to follow the Covid-19 guidelines in public places. Online classes and exams must be started to protect children from the pandemic. Jatinderpal Singh Batth Open but take all precautions Education is the backbone of a country and schools and colleges are temples that make a person talented to read and write. The answer to the question posed is an emphatic no but a rational yes. The coronavirus is going to stay forever like HIV and smallpox. Vaccination will help definitely but in such a dangerous situation it is advisable that the schools should not be opened the way they were before during the pre-Covid period. But neither the people nor the government can afford to let schools remain closed for a long period because the students learn discipline respect for time earn life-long friends by attending schools which can never be acquired learnt or taught online. So the temples of learning should be opened with strict guidelines as per the precautionary measures. The teams of medical experts and police should be appointed to check that the schools observe cautions till the normalcy returns. Human life is very precious. Ritu Joshi Classes should run on odd-even basis Increasing number of cases have once again put the masses in dilemma as no doubt the vaccine is now available and phase two of vaccination is in progress. The issue is relating to the schools as earlier the schools were closed and the teaching was done digitally and the exams too. Now the need of the hour is that the schools should strictly follow the guidelines of Ministry of Health try to vaccinate their staff and students rather than shut down schools. The need is of mechanism to be followed by alternative day of different sections and classes so that the rush in the schools can be diluted as the schools are modern temples of education. Simmi Mohindru Better to wait before its too late With a surge in fresh Covid cases in the past few days it seems the decision to re-open schools and colleges must be reviewed especially when many teachers and students have contracted the disease. In my opinion the pandemic is not over yet and with the new mutated UK strain of the virus the threat still looms large. Perhaps it would be better to wait for one or two more months till the vaccination drive has covered a large chunk of the population. Otherwise the schools can become agents in the rapid spread of the infection due to large numbers and it might worsen the situation. Parents would also feel wary of sending their wards to school. Working together we should strive to overcome this challenge. Seema Jain Closure will do more harm than good Closing schools at this point of time will likely do more harm than good and potentially lead to more deaths and use of hospital beds from infections. There is a lot we still do not know about Covid-19. What we do know is that children appear to very rarely have serious infections and complications compared to those in the older age groups especially their grandparents. The data from a range of countries shows that children rarely and in many countries never have died from this infection. Children appear to get infected at a much lower rate than those who are older although confirmation of that will need to await the roll out of larger-scale antibody testing which tells you that you have had an infection in the past. Neel Kanth Grover Why not face crisis intelligently? There has been a rise in the number of cases in Punjab recently. Hundreds of students and teachers have got infected. Some parents have expressed fear to send their children to schools. And some even have demanded the closure of schools. But is it the appropriate solution? I dont think so. The pandemic is worldwide and we dont know till when its going to be there. The future is unpredictable. So why not face the crisis with our intelligence? Let us educate and train our kids to wear masks maintain social distancing and proper hygiene. Let us all learn to live with the present hoping for a safe and healthy future. Schools should not be closed especially when it is annual exam time. No doubt online platform is there but in classroom teaching learning is more dynamic and interactive. The parents should not refrain from sending children to schools. The children should be trained to stay safe and healthy while being regular at schools. It needs collective efforts to fight against the crisis and at the same time not ignoring classroom education. Kavita Sabharwal Time to fight not take a step back It is not necessary that we close the school once again due to the virus. Rather teachers and students should follow the guidelines of Covid-19 properly so that they can keep the new strain at bay. As we know this is a tough situation for all of us but this does not mean that we should be irresponsible with the students studies and their future. If we keep the schools closed because of fear what will be the impact on the students education…has anyone ever thought? After all how much syllabus can we provide to students through online studies? There are various issues like connectivity internet speed and so on. I am not in favour of closing schools once again. Simran Bhardwaj Doubt clearing classes on voluntary basis can help Schools and colleges must continue through online mode. Certain subjects can be offline based upon need of practicals Weekly doubt clearing classes on voluntary basis Vaccination of all students and teachers on priority basis especially Class X onwards up to college Presently offline methods and ways of teaching are being used in online mode. Need to change mindset. Lessons can be drawn from successful online platforms in education field use of e-books etc Schools can subscribe to online platforms to make the content available to most students and simultaneously develop own content Online content should become part of school curriculum even beyond Covid-19. This will enable information technology literacy less school time and easing of student load Fresh call to revert to offline mode can be taken after four months. —Vinod Gupta QUESTION There is a surge in Covid cases in the city. Deaths are being reported on a daily basis. Night curfew has already been imposed in many districts. Do you think there is a need for another lockdown? Suggestions in not more than 200 words can be sent to amritsardesk@tribunemail.com by Thursday (March 18).

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