Decision to open schools faces flak

Tribune News Service

Jammu, September 20

Even as the civil society and all political parties have asked the government to reconsider its ‘risky’ decision of opening schools from Monday, the authorities are adamant to open educational institutions amid the surge in Covid positive cases.

Cutting across party lines, all political parties are unanimous against this ‘dangerous’ decision of the authorities and in one voice the leaders have demanded that decision must be rolled back.

“We are not opening all schools, it is just a partial opening and students of only secondary classes will attend the schools voluntarily”, the Director, School Education, Jammu, Anuradha Gupta said.“In my opinion it is a wrong decision on the part of the administration to put the lives of students at risk”, former minister and vice-president of Congress Raman Bhalla said and sought intervention of L-G Manoj Sinha to save students as well as the teaching staff.

Echoing a similar voice, NC leader Devender Singh Rana questioned the rationale behind opening of schools from Class IX to XII at a time when panic-stricken people were wondering how to brave the alarming spike in Covid cases.

“The administration is rushing to open the schools from Monday, with an option to parents whether to send their wards to school or not”, Rana warned that such a decision could prove to be counterproductive.

Former Education Minister and Panthers Party leader Harsh Dev Singh termed this decision as ridiculous and dangerous. He pointed out that the number of positive cases and deaths had been increasing with every passing day.

“The situation is not conducive for opening schools because the virus is spreading rapidly ”, the J&K president of the BJP, Ravinder Raina, said . Dr Asgar Samoon, Principal Secretary, School Education, has already announced that the schools would be opened as per guidelines of the Centre and only 50 per cent of teachers had been mobilised.