When Will The Schools Open?
If You Go Outside Of Delhi, It Seems That Corona Virus Is A Festival That Is Being Celebrated With Much Fanfare. Children And Adults Are Moving Around Together, Like The Corona Virus, If It Ever Came, Is Now Back Home.
But I Don’t Know Why Schools Are Still Desolate. There Is Prosperity Everywhere Except Schools. Some Private Schools Sometimes Allow Older Children To Come To School But Like Tourists Come For A While, Meet Friends And Even Visit The Teacher If It Is Understandable, But Poor Children Across The Country Have Suspended Education For About Eight Months.
And It Is Incomprehensible That When All The Rest Of The Work Is Being Done, The Factories Are Open, The Shops Are Crowded With Buyers From Morning To Evening, The Markets Seem To Be Delivering Goods For Free, So Much Traffic. If Roads Get Jammed In Some Places, What Will Happen When School Starts?
It’s Not That There’s No Danger Of The School Reopening, But Is It To Keep The School Closed To Save The Children? What Are They Doing That They Are Not Doing? I Have Been Traveling To Some Rural Areas Of Western Uttar Pradesh For A Week Now And In The Bitter Cold I Have Seen Children Doing Things They Should Never Do, Children Sitting At Home And Poor Parents Putting Them To Work. Has Been. And Now The Fear Is That Their Relationship With Education May Be Broken Forever.
In India Alone, The Education Of About 300 Million Children Has Been Affected. Six Million Children Were Already Out Of School And Their Numbers Are Set To Increase Due To Rising Unemployment And Poverty.
According To The Annual Status Report On The Condition Of Schools, The Number Of Out-of-school Children Has Increased From 4.5 Per Cent To 5.5 Per Cent. The Largest Increase Has Occurred In The Age Group Of Six To Ten Years, Almost Three Times, And Once These Children Drop Out Of School, What Is The Probability That They Will Be Able To Regain Their Education?
And If You Think Education Is The Solution, Then Spend Some Time In The Village. About 40% Of Children In India Do Not Have Access To A Smartphone, If They Have A Phone, The Internet Speed Is Bad, There Is No Electricity And There Is No Coverage. But These Problems Are Only For 11% Of Children Who Have Some Kind Of Online Class In Their School. The Rest Is Free From These Worries.
So The Question Is What Should Happen? Children Are At The Bottom Of The List Of People Infected With The Corona Virus. There Are Many Countries In The World, Including Sweden, That Have Never Closed Schools, Or At Least Not For A Long Time. But These Are Small Countries And For Big Countries Like India, Their Model Does Not Have To Work.
But The American Embassy School In Delhi Has Shown The Way To Other Local Schools. Only Rich Children Are Educated In This School Who Have All The Facilities Required For Online Education. And Those Who Have Included Smartphones In This Calculation Should Try To Understand The Physics Or Chemistry Lectures On The Small Screen Of The Smartphone For A While.
But This School Has Adopted A Simple Formula. Children Go To School Two Days A Week And Take Online Classes Three Days A Week. The Children Are Divided Into Two Groups, One On Monday And Tuesday And The Other On Thursday And Friday. Children Always Wear Masks And Social Distance Is Ensured. It Makes It Easier For Half The Kids To Cuddle.
The Slogan Has Been Mentioned Many Times Before, But When It Comes To Opening A School, Officials Say Children's Health Is More Important Than Education. Even If We Don’t Go To School For A Few Months, The Time Has Not Come. But Who Has The Answer To The Question Of How Many Days The Situation Will Return To Normal?
It Is Not Understood How Sitting At Home Affects The Mental And Emotional Health Of Children.
And The Biggest Burden Will Be Borne By Poor Children, Especially Girls. That Would Be A Terrible Price To Pay.
