Covid-19: Schools fear ending current academic year in online mode

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, January 17

With the government extending the closure of schools and colleges in the state till January 25 due to rising Covid-19 cases, school heads feel that like last year, the academic situation has come back to square one, when an entire academic session was compromised due to the pandemic.

Under the given situation, when the current count of Covid-19 cases in the district is about to touch the 1,000 mark, most schools are concerned about the health safety of students, though they do seek clarity over the issue from the government.

“It still is a very tough situation for students and teachers alike. The state is in for elections next month and all other social activities continue without much change, but schools are the first ones to shut down and hence education is disrupted. It’s again examination season for senior secondary classes and once again the shift towards online learning is going to impact the learning process. However, we are helpless as health of students is also important and even if we open schools with restrictions, parents would be hesitant to send their wards for offline classes,” said Anita Bhalla, Principal, Bhavans SL Public School.

The Government Girls’ Senior Secondary Smart School, Mall Road, had organised a vaccination camp for its students on Monday, with an aim to get 100 inoculations done. “We could only give 50 students vaccination as many students reportedly did not show up due to fever and other health issues. So, the fact remains that health safety must be considered before anything right now. Of course, the online classes are no replacement for offline learning as students have already suffered for two years,” shared Manpreet Kaur, Principal, GGSSSS, Mall Road. She expects the closure to continue till February.

With GNDU announcing the conduct of online examinations, schools as well might take a similar approach if the closure extends till the next month. “It’s the most logical way of not wasting any more academic session. We are already adapted to online learning and examinations. With the third wave expected to continue for another month, according to experts, there is a big possibility that examinations, too, might be conducted in online mode,” said Upasna Mehra, Principal, The Senior Study II.

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