Parents apprehensive about safety of children in Panchkula

Panchkula, September 18

The government’s decision to allow students of Classes IX to XII to visit schools on a voluntary basis from September 21 to seek academic guidance has evoked a mixed response from teachers, parents and other stakeholders.

Officials at government schools said it would benefit the students, particularly those who could not afford a smartphone for online classes.

But parents are still apprehensive about the safety of their children.

“A majority of the students in our school hail from the families of migrant workers. Those, who weren’t been able to attend online classes or receive study material sent via WhatsApp or emails, will get better guidance if allowed to visit schools,” a teacher at Saarthak Government Integrated Model Senior Secondary School in Sector 12-A said.

Another teacher of the school, who was looking after the administrative duties in absence of Principal Kamlesh Chauhan, said they were taking all precautions and proper sanitisation was being done to protect against the infection.

He, however, made it clear that the school was yet to receive orders from the District Education Officer (DEO) for Covid testing of teachers.

The Khattar-led Haryana Government has also made it compulsory for teachers to undergo Covid testing before resuming classes.

The DEO could not be contacted for comments on the issue. — TNS