“Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family.”
– Kofi Annan
These words by Kofi Annan could not ring more true as the COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc with the world. COVID-19 which first made an appearance in the province of Wuhan in the People’s Republic of China in December 2019 is now a household name, which derives fear from its infectious nature. Many countries have struggled to control the outbreak which has disrupted normal life as we know it due to several lockdowns and restrictions being put in place.
Among the many casualties of this pandemic, is the education of children. Schools and colleges have been shut since March 2020 owing to the pandemic and the subsequent nation-wide lockdown which was announced due to the rising cases of COVID-19 across the country. This lockdown has impacted the education of an entire generation of children who are unable to get access to teachers or give examinations. The fortunate have had access to online classes through digital media but the physical connect of students and the teachers which is a key component in education is missing.
Now that the Central Government has decided to gradually open schools in a phased manner, state governments have formulated their SOPs and schools have started operating across the nation. Schools across the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir have re-opened from September 21, 2020, however, the attendance of the students has been on a voluntary basis. According to officials, the schools have reopened with 50 percent attendance of staff and students and the attendance of the students will be as per the written consent of the parents.
Till class 8 only 50 percent of the staff will report every day while the class 9, 10, 11 and 12 students can come to school on a voluntary basis with 50 percent attendance in case they wish to clear any doubts with regard to their curriculum. The officials have stated that the parents can decide whether they want to allow their children to attend the classes. The authorities have further stated that online classes and digital education activities will continue as usual.
Schools have been following all the safety guidelines issued by the State and the Central Government. Social distancing is being practiced while the students and teachers are required to wear masks all the time as per the guidelines. The Standard Operating Procedures are helping the students and teachers with respect to the conduct of classes and the safety measures.
Only a few students turned up for the first few days due to the initial reluctance of the parents however, the Principal Secretary, School Education and Skill Development, Asgar Hassan Samoonhas said that the reopening of schools was not meant for regular classes. The partial reopening is to facilitate the students to clear their doubts in any subject in their classrooms while following all the precautionary measures to avoid COVID-19.
Another official said, “Keeping in view the peculiar circumstances (due to COVID-19), we have introduced online and offline methods of education besides community classes in non-containment zones. The blending of offline and online mechanisms is meant to provide options to the students and safeguard their future,” adding that the online classes would continue till the time demands.
The students are ecstatic and excited about attending school after a long gap. Mehraj Lone, a student of Class 10, expressed happiness over the reopening of schools, saying that he got an opportunity to interact with some of his friends after a gap of over six months. “All of us have face masks and sanitisers. We were screened at the school gate and have to follow social distancing even in the classroom,” Lone said.
The reopening of schools has kindled hope amongst the students and parents for a rapid return to normal. There are some concerns regarding the rise in the number of cases of COVID-19 but many believe that education of the children should not suffer due to the pandemic. The authorities have also assured all the stakeholders that all due precautions as necessitated by the pandemic are being taken.
The most important aspect for the students in this reopening is the scope of learning first hand from the teachers as well as learning from their peers. Despite the gamut of courses available online and the best efforts of teachers to impart knowledge through digital media, they are no substitute for actual classes. The students of Jammu & Kashmir will definitely benefit from this move and are very excited about the prospects of regular classes restarting soon. Education is indeed the premise of progress and uninterrupted schooling will go a long way in bringing progress to the society of Jammu & Kashmir
