62% parents oppose reopening schools in Himachal

Bhanu P Lohumi
Tribune News Service
Shimla, August 11

About 62 per cent parents of students are not in favour of opening schools in a haste, while the remaining 38 per cent want these to be opened in shifts with less strength and strict adherence to social-distancing norms, proper sanitisation and wearing of masks. 

A large number of parents stressed the need for adopting alternative teaching practice, fearing that spending hours on mobile phones could affect eyes and health of their wards, said Director, Higher Education, Amarjeet Sharma.

“As a large number of parents emphasised on the improvised and less time-consuming teaching, we will focus on teacher training, enabling them to prepare more effective lessons and modules with bullet point and lesson summary for better understanding,” he added.

The objective of the e-PTM was to make parents aware of the ‘Har Ghar Pathshala’ and ‘Gyanshala’ initiatives being run in the state for facilitating remote learning for students and addressing the concerns of parents regarding the education of children.

On an aggregate, around 80 per cent parents reported that they were finding the study material, prepared by the state as part of the ‘Har Ghar Pathshala’ programme, useful and 92 per cent parents opined that the PTM was beneficial for them and children, said a spokesperson from the Education Department.

The parents were curious to know about the reopening of schools and gave their suggestions, helping the department to take necessary action. The e-PTM was conducted in the areas with poor internet connectivity as well. The parents reported that the platform gave them information about children’s academic performance and the direct interface with the teachers helped them resolve their doubts.