Mandi Ahmedgarh: Administration seeks pupils’ Covid testing, parents reluctant

Mahesh Sharma

Mandi Ahmedgarh, August 10

Authorities of various government and private-aided schools of the region feel sandwiched between parents and senior functionaries of the administration on the issue of getting students tested for Covid.

While a substantial number of parents have refused to give consent to get their wards tested for the virus, district authorities want all constituents, including students, teachers and associated staff, to test negative.

Heads of various schools of the region have asked students to tell their parents to either get them tested or allow the testing at school.

Perusal of a communiqué sent by the Director Education Department (DPI) to schools of the area revealed that all constituents attending schools should be screened to rule out infection. District Education Officers (senior secondary) have been advised to monitor the process of testing by getting at least one per cent of constituents tested in their presence or in the presence of their delegates.

“All DEOs will coordinate with government, private-aided and recognised schools and ensure that guidelines on prevention of spread of coronavirus are followed religiously,” reads the concluding paragraph of the letter, signed by the Director. Records about progress of daily testing are to be uploaded on the

official portal of the Education Department.

Investigations further revealed that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has also recommended that PCR or rapid antigen tests should be conducted even in the absence of symptoms of the virus among students and staff of various schools of all levels. Screening in the schools had previously only been recommended if a cluster of cases had been identified.

District Education Officer, Malerkotla, Malkit Singh has also written to the District Health Authorities to arrange healthcare teams to conduct tests at all schools falling under his jurisdiction, according to the schedule prepared by block-level officials.

However, Maternal and Child Health Officer Dr Mamta Goel said students of various schools visited by their teams were reluctant to get tested. “We have received a request from the principal of a school we visited for testing today to stagger the testing programme as students were not ready to get tested without permission of their parents,” Dr Goel said.

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