Time to unlock school gates, bring children back

It is nearly 16 months since 25 crore schoolgoing children in India last attended physical classes. By June 2021, schools were operating in some capacity in around 170 countries across the world. In fact, in most countries, schools continued to operate during the pandemic, except for some periods. It is time Indian policymakers urgently considered bringing children back to schools.

The pandemic has forced school students to attend classes online. However, online teaching is not a replacement for in-school learning. It puts children from an underprivileged background at a disadvantage as online teaching works better when supplemented by parents. Moreover, interactions in school are important for the overall development of communication, proficiency in language, interpersonal and social skills as well as physical and emotional well-being, all of which have taken a backseat due to the closure of schools. Even before the pandemic, the quality of education and learning in Indian schools was considered suboptimal. With online teaching, the inequities have further widened.

India’s Covid-19 unlock plan has put emphasis on restarting tourism and opening up economic activities. However, there seems to be insufficient attention to restarting educational activities and opening schools. It has been estimated that every month away from school results in two months of learning lost and children in India have already lost learning equal to 32 months. Children supposed to start school from the previous as well as this academic year are among those at the biggest disadvantage.

Some of the apprehensions on opening the schools are based upon alarmist and evidence-bereft high decibel discourse such as that the third wave of Covid-19 will primarily affect children. This incorrect assertion created a lot of panic among the policymakers and parents and any possible discussion on the opening of schools was put on hold. The fact is that children are not at additional risk of contracting the disease in any subsequent wave. The evidence from various sero-surveys across states in India indicates that children have been infected at a similar rate as adults; however, their risk of developing the disease in its severe form is low. The reason is that the receptors which SARS-CoV2 needs to enter the lungs are under-developed in children. Evidence from the US indicates that vaccination of the adult population does not result in any change in the severity of disease in children. The new variants do not alter the risk of moderate to severe disease in children.

There are three other key scientific pieces of evidence which should be given consideration. One, there is no need to wait for the vaccination of children before opening the schools. Global experts have concluded that vaccination of children is not a prerequisite for opening the schools. In fact, no country in the world has yet started the vaccination of children younger than 12 years. With low risk, this age-group is unlikely to be prioritised for vaccination for many months to come. Second, the vaccination of school staff would be a good idea but is not essential for opening the schools. Third, schools for younger children (up to Class VIII) should be started first as this age- group is at a very low risk. The opening of schools for older children (Class IX-XII) should be done more carefully and with additional precautions.

It is imperative that states give urgent attention and priority to formulating detailed plans and operational strategies to reopen schools. The broad principles of the school reopening strategy should be drafted by the Union government with complete freedom to the states to make modifications and implement it. The strategy should use global evidence, guided by domain experts, informed by local epidemiology and flexible to be modified as the situation evolves.

All schools — government or private, but specifically those government schools which cater to underprivileged children — should be prioritised for opening up, as many children in these schools do not have anyone to guide their learning at home. Special focus has to be given to bring those children who are about to enter the school education system.

While planning to open up, schools should make the necessary structural modifications to ensure proper ventilation and spacing inside the classroom. Conducting classes in the open (but shaded) space should be considered. The re-opening can be supplemented by strengthening the school health service, facilitating regular health check-up of children and periodically educating them on Covid-appropriate behaviour as well as engaging the parents. School teachers and other staff need to be trained and sensitised in adherence to Covid-appropriate behaviour and ensure the observance of such protocol by students in classes.

The classes could be fewer than routine — alternate days, once in three days, or even once a week — and there can be multiple shifts with reasonable breaks in between. The proportion of children attending school on a given day can be determined by the school authorities, in consultation with parents. A hybrid of classroom and online teaching has to be continued, where parents can choose the mode of learning they would prefer. Regular sensitisation of parents to alleviate their fears would be needed. Approaches such as school bio-bubble, in which the students of a specific class would not interact with anyone outside the class, need to be explored.

In our overzealous attempt to protect children from Covid-19, we should not end up depriving them of education and learning. Opening of schools is essential for physical, mental, social and emotional well-being and development of children. With available scientific evidence, it is possible to develop a plan and get children safely back to schools, compensate for the time lost and bring them on the path of learning. It’s time schools in India are reopened.