What Schools Should Do To Be Ready For Reopening In COVID-19 Period
November 25, 2021
- The key is to bring children back for some personal interactions with teachers and schools. A hybrid of classroom and online teaching has to be continued, where parents would have full choice of opting the mode of learning and in-person attendance should not be mandatory.
- Schools will have to implement measures to sanitize commonly touched surfaces periodically
- Every school needs to make structural modifications required for proper ventilation and spacing inside the classrooms. Conducting classes in open but shaded spaces should be considered.
- The suitable modification in school transports so as to avoid overcrowding will be needed.
- All staff in every school should be prioritized for vaccination.
- Teachers should be empowered with the adoption of COVID-19 appropriate behaviour and, act as the primary interface between schools and parents, having confidence and evidence to answer queries of parents.
- Periodically sensitizing staff, students and parents on Covid-appropriate behaviour should become integral to the process.
- Schools need to strengthen the linkage with health services, and preventive check-ups and health promotion talks should become routine. Also, consider engaging a doctor or health expert who could guide the process of opening and also answer queries of parents and teachers.
- Once re-opened, classes would be fewer than the earlier routine — classes on alternate days, once in three days or even once a week and there can be multiple shifts with reasonable breaks in between.
- Approaches such as a school bio-bubble, in which students of a specific class would not interact with anyone outside it, need to be explored.