OPEN HOUSE: With anticipated 4th Covid wave, should educational institutions revert to online mode?

Prevention is better than cure

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Owing to our negligence, there has now been a rise in Covid – 19 cases in the country. Many of the school and college-going students have been testing positive. The steep rise of the Covid – 19 cases has led to the controversy about whether we should revert to the online mode of education or not. Well, I strongly feel that for now, we should continue with the offline mode of education. Masks have been made mandatory for the citizens by the government and the vaccination drive for the age group 12-18 years has been going at a perfect pace, so all the students falling in this age group should get both doses for the same and make all efforts to protect and make sure that they are safe from Covid-19 which will surely lead to its eradication from this world. Just like always, we surely have to follow SMS (Sanitiser, Mask and Social Distancing). Mask is the most crucial weapon that we need for this fight against Covid -19 and we must redouble our efforts to wear it at required times because it is very rightly said that ‘Prevention is better than cure’.

Sanidhya Bhaskar

Allow fully jabbed to attend offline classes

In the present scenario, where the threat of Covid-19 through its new challenging variants is still persisting and all the school children in designated age groups are still to be fully vaccinated, both the options of online and offline classes have to be judiciously exercised by both the authorities and the parents. For physical classes, only those students should be allowed to attend the classes who are fully vaccinated as per prescribed norms and that too under strict compliance

with Covid-appropriate behaviour. For those students who are yet to be inoculated, online classes should be kept operational as per existing guidelines till the whole process of full vaccination is complete. It is heartening to note that the National Drug Regulatory Authority has granted emergency use authorisation to two differently manufactured vaccines for children aged five to 12 years old. However, the authorities should expedite the process of vaccination to all eligible age groups of children through taking proactive measures including providing free vaccination within stipulated time.

JAGDISH CHANDER

Shut schools only when situation worsens

News of rising cases is making headlines all over the globe. Lockdown has been enforced in many countries such as China. In India, students belonging to 12-18 years of age group have been vaccinated in their schools. The question arises for children below 12 years of age. Parents of such students are in a fix. In my opinion, if the condition worsens only then the classes should be made offline but the schools should adopt all the Covid measures and precautions and follow guidelines as prescribed the Ministry of Health in the interest of the students as the parents have paid already paid hefty fees for their children to the schools. The responsibility should be of the school principals and staff to strictly adopt measures to protect the students from the new Covid-19 variant.

Rajat Kumar Mohindru

Offline studies have no credible substitute

While physical interaction between teachers and taught is notable for conceptual clarity and comprehension, but parents are in a dilemma to send their wards to schools for the fear of contagion, especially among those of lower age groups. The authorities too are wary of Covid situation as students below 12 years are yet not jabbed. As of now, restrictions on operating businesses and industrial enterprises are totally removed. Likewise, the educational institutions playing a vital role in honing up the skills and integrated development of young generation cannot be left at the vagaries of pandemic any more. To bridge the learning gaps, the established practice of offline studies having no credible and efficacious substitute, needs to be conducted without disruption. Nevertheless, amid scare of 4th Covid wave, it would sound rational to comply with the stipulations of hygiene, wearing mask and avoiding undue mixing till the situation fully improves and vaccination of all the school children is completed. In all, saving lives is the foremost, while restoring normalcy in academia is ardently required for the all around grooming of students, who happen to be the future of our nation.

Nirmaljit Singh Chatrath

Join hands in fight against covid

The Covid with its new variants will keep resurfacing in its new ‘Avtaar’ every now and then. Just recollect the element of fear when the terrified world was grappling with the first wave. During this period, the utterly neglected health infrastructure was overhauled. The spread of the pandemic was controlled at the cost of development and putting the economy in the reverse gear. But, considering the human lives to be more precious than any other thing, we may still justify the first lockdown. However, now we have come a long way ahead from that lockdown. The pandemic has taught us all a lot of lessons. We ought to change our lifestyle/mindset about the reappearance of the resurgent Covid variants. Nothing is paramount than hygiene, self care and living a disciplined life. Be relentlessly responsible, washing hands, putting a mask and maintaining social distance isn’t something that we need to forget ever. Healthy life style would increase our immunity. The civil administration too has to pull up its socks and leave no stone unturned to keep the cities clean. Let us respect the Mother Nature. The schools/colleges must not be closed in the fear of the fourth wave. The students studying in these institutions should be utilised as the “Covid Warriors”. They ought to spread awareness amongst the masses either physically or through the social/print media to join the “War” against the pandemic.

Col VK Sharma (retd)

Take precautionary measures properly

The district administration should allow offline teaching to continue in schools as the children can only learn and understand better in offline environment. With the proper precautionary measures as taken earlier, the same should be resumed in schools for the better future of children.

Anubhavjot Kaur

Govt should boost vaccination drive

After winning freedom from wearing the troublesome masks, people are again scared stiff of the impending fourth wave of Covid-19. According to the WHO, the new strain can be very infectious. It is time to be more vigilant and careful. Amid mounting positive cases, the Health Ministry has issued fresh advisory on strict adherence to safety norms. The district administration should adopt preventive and containment strategies such as boosting vaccination drive and spreading awareness about the virus. No doubt, masks have become a part and parcel of the Covid-appropriate behaviour. New standard operating procedures (SOPs) have come back for schools and colleges and these need be followed strictly. But people have expressed divergent views on whether these educational institutions should continue with the physical classes or take to the earlier online mode of teaching. Seeing the sudden surge in positive cases in China, medical experts have not ruled out the possibility of further breakouts. When economic activities in other sectors are going on unabated, why should academicians and educationists suspend offline classes and close these temples of learning? Online classes and examinations have already seriously disrupted studies and ruined the careers of many a brilliant student. The Covid pandemic seems to have become a way of life. Let us learn to live with it. The government should boost vaccination drive to curb its spread and continue to give cautionary advertisements on it.

Simran & Tajpreet S Kang

Follow guidelines to stay protected

As life was fast returning to normal some time ago, the Central government relaxed the strict Covid-19 protocols. All educational institutions were reopened, offices resumed routine functioning, religious, social and political events were held and malls, markets and cinema houses started drawing huge crowds. But the mask holiday did not last long. Despite the awareness campaigns, people did not learn any lessons from the previous onslaughts. No regulation was followed without the fear of fines. With the resurgence of positivity cases in the recent past, the state governments have again issued fresh guidelines to keep the deadly virus at bay. Though eminent virologists have averred that the possibility of the fourth pandemic wave is very low, we should not lower the guard as the XE, the new variant of Omicron, can be highly transmissible. At a time when schools and colleges have started offline classes and CBSE is conducting board exams for Classes X and XII, there is no fun in reverting back to the online teaching/learning process. The past experience shows that this mode has severely impacted studies because a majority of students are not serious and resort to many unlawful and unethical practices during examinations. The district and school administrations should ensure that health and safety protocols. The Covid seems to have become a way of life and we must be prepared to live with it, but carefully and cautiously.

DS Kang

Quality edu possible in schools only

The Punjab Government has issued an advisory, in which they have asked the authorities concerned to ensure wearing of mask in crowded places like buses, trains, aircrafts, cinema halls, shopping malls stores, public offices schools, colleges etc. mandatory as a precautionary measure keeping in view the threat of the fourth wave of Covid. It is repeatedly advised to always meet three ‘C’ in mind i.e. crowd, closed places and close contacts. Instead of creating panic, we should take the precautionary measures as many of us yet not taken two doses of the vaccination or yet to take booster dose as prescribed. We should concentrate on such issues instead of thinking about starting online classes. We should not forget that childhood activities, which are possible in school only, are integral part of physical and mental development of the school going kids. Moreover, during the last two years online classes have adversely affected eyesight of the children.

Naresh Johar

QUESTION

As April has already broken all records to become the hottest month in 122 years and there seems no respite in May as well, what steps should the govt take to mitigate climate change effects?

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