Vijayapura: After the reports of Covid infection rising fast in the State, mainly after its Omicron variant becoming a major cause for concern, the parents are now worried about the health of their children. Many parents are contemplating whether to send their children to school or ask the schools to start online classes again.
In the wake of a steep increase in Covid – 19 cases in the State capita, the State Government has called-off the regular or offline classes for Classes 1 to 9 for the schools in Bengaluru Urban and permitted them to conduct online classes. This has irked the parents in many districts including Vijayapura and Bagalkot.
Savitri Bhavikatti, a resident of Vijayapura City said that the government had launched a vaccination drive for the students aged above 15 years but what about the children below 15 years. The cases are increasing in all the districts, which is a clear sign of a third wave. The Government should implement the same rules in all the districts instead of bringing out different laws to different regions, she added.
“I have two children studying in the lower-primary section and have stopped sending them to school because of the fear of infections. We have already suffered a lot in the second wave. The Government should cancel the offline classes and direct the schools to conduct online classes until the situation returns to normalcy. The decision has to be taken in the welfare of the students as soon as possible,” urged a parent of two-children.
Many parents are now urging the Government to issue orders for the closure of the schools in the midst of increasing cases and start online classes again.
“The children studying in lower primary and higher primary classes are not yet vaccinated. Without taking risk the Government should cancel the physical classes with immediate effect and can go ahead with the online classes,” said paediatrician Dr. Nagbhushan Hundekar.
However, the private school administrations claim that they are ensuring that all the Covid guidelines are followed and implemented in the institution premises.
On condition of anonymity, a principal from a reputed school said that, “We will not force any parents to send their children to school. We have made it clear to the parents there will be no facility of online class if the students miss the school. We will start the online classes if and only if the Government orders. However, we are giving top priority to the safety of the children by ensuring that everyone maintains social distance and wears masks.”
Deputy Director of Department of Public Instructions N. V. Hosur said that, “It is true that many parents are expressing apprehensions about the safety of their children. The Government is likely to call-off regular classes this week itself across the State and order for online classes. As of now no cases have been reported in any school in the District.”
