Schools in several states in India opened today – some after a 17-month break, as they closed in March 2020 due to a new coronavirus pandemic, according to DPA.
According to UNESCO, India is one of the countries where schools have been closed for the longest time due to the coronavirus.
The capital, Delhi, the northeastern states of Meghalaya and Tamil Nadu and Telangana in the south, are among the regions where high school students have returned to class after several months of distance learning. In the most densely populated Indian state of Uttar Pradesh in the north, primary schools have opened.
Schools follow the instructions of the Ministry of Health, which include limiting the number of children in classes to 50% of their capacity, measuring the temperature at the entrance, going out for lunch and quarantine.
Students will not be allowed to share books and food. Many parents do not dare to send their children to school because they have not yet been vaccinated in India. Most schools try to vaccinate their staff. Distance learning continues in many places, according to BTA.
“Returning to school will be especially useful for children from disadvantaged families,” said KS Verma, principal of Kautilla Public School in Delhi. Verma explained that it is sometimes difficult to contact these children because they do not have access to computers and smartphones, and they cannot turn to adults for help at home.
In India, about 1.5 million schools have been affected by coronavirus restrictions, which have affected about 250 million children.