No online classes, say private schools in Chandigarh

Naina Mishra

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Chandigarh, April 26

Private schools in the city have decided not to hold online classes for schoolchildren eligible for the Covid-19 vaccine, but who have not taken it. Such students will be marked absent and no arrangements for online classes will be made for them.

What schools say

We have decided not to hold online classes for unvaccinated children and will continue with offline classes only. Running the classes in the hybrid mode will have its consequences in the conduct of the exams as well. HS Mamik, president, ISA

To protect unvaccinated children from exposure to Covid, the UT Administration had yesterday decided to restrict unvaccinated students in the age group of 12 to 18 from attending physical classes from May 4.

HS Mamik, president of the Independent Schools Association (ISA), Chandigarh, said, “We have decided not to hold online classes for unvaccinated children and will continue with offline classes only. Running the classes in the hybrid mode will have its consequences in the conduct of the exams as well.”

Some schools have written to the Education Department, seeking a clarification on whether they should run classes in the “hybrid mode” for unvaccinated children.

Kavita Das, Principal of St John’s High School, said, “We have sought clarity from the Education Department on whether children below 12 years of age will be allowed to attend physical classes or not as they are also in the category of unvaccinated children.”

Atul Khanna, Director of Strawberry Fields High School, said, “We are going to operate classes in the physical mode only. The order issued by the Administration does not state how the classes should function and neither does it talk about whether students below 12 years of age should attend classes or not. The order strictly prohibits unvaccinated students from attending physical classes. The parents are very well educated and should get their children vaccinated before the deadline.”

Only 40 per cent kids in the age group of 12 to 14 years have taken the first dose of the vaccine and around 26,845 children are yet to take the jab in the city. Around 5,254 children in the age group of 15 to 18 years are yet to take their first shot of the vaccine.