With lack of clear instructions from the State government, teachers working in government, aided and private schools remain anxious on having to work from their schools amid the second wave of COVID-19.
The husband of a school teacher working in a private school in Peelamedu told The Hindu on Friday his wife was allegedly asked to work from the school since the first week of April and that she had recently tested positive for COVID-19. “She was taken to the COVID-19 care centre at CODISSIA Trade Fair Complex,” he said.
According to T. Arulanandam, a Coimbatore-based school teacher and State auditor of Tamil Nadu High Higher Secondary School Graduate Teachers Association, many instances of school teachers testing positive and even dying due to complications have been occurring across the district of late.
“These are not being highlighted separately,” he alleged.
With Class 12 completing their practical examinations on Friday, they were no longer required to come to the schools till the public examination. However, there were no such instructions for teachers and they were anxious of travelling every day amid the rising COVID-19 cases to reach their respective schools, Mr. Arulanandam said. “Last year, they allowed us to work from home. The school work can be done from home by the teachers,” he said.
When contacted, Coimbatore Chief Educational Officer M. Ramakrishnan said he had instructed the headmasters and other heads of schools to coordinate with the Health Department if any teachers or staff members tested positive for COVID-19 in their respective schools.
The directions from the State government regarding teachers working from schools were awaited, he said, adding that all the schools had been instructed to adhere to the COVID-19 standard operating procedures.
Published - April 24, 2021 03:40 am IST
