While the State government has decided to reopen Classes XI and above from August 23, many school managements and parents have now joined the chorus and want lower primary classes also to be opened.
Many experts on the committee appointed by the State government to discuss the reopening of schools had pointed out that the lower classes would have to be reopened first as the students in lower grades were most adversely affected when compared to those in higher classes. However, the Department of Public Instruction had suggested reopening high school classes first.
D. Shashi Kumar, general secretary, Associated Managements of Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka, said the decision regarding the reopening of schools was a welcome one. “However, we also want to reopen primary classes. Students who are affected the most academically with schools being closed are the primary school students,” he said. Rajath S., a parent whose sons study in Classes I and VI, said, “My children have not had access to one gadget each during the pandemic and hence find it difficult to attend online classes. There is a need to ensure that schools reopen as my children have started forgetting even the basics they learnt in earlier grades.”
Gurumurthy Kasinathan, of the National Coalition for the Education Emergency, said that educationists were unanimous that school closure had harmed the younger ones the most. “Not going to school means language skills are not being developed, and neither is basic socialisation skills. On the other hand, there is clear evidence that young children are least affected by the virus, as both cases and fatalities are negligible the world over,” he said. He said termed the decision to keep primary schools closed as “criminally callous” and said it would lead to a larger number of school dropouts over the next few years.
