Government schools: Disaster waiting to reopen with Covid around

Hyderabad: The debate raging in Telangana and across the country over for over a month now on the decision to reopen schools further exposes the schism between those with privilege and those without, universal right to primary education notwithstanding. Given the large spectrum and range of schools, authorities lose track. The pandemic, lockdown and digitisation have only widened the gap.

While authorities are deliberating on guidelines for schools to reopen physically, most parents seem reluctant to send their wards to school, yet, even while complaining against the effectiveness of online classes.

Given the high likelihood of schools restarting physical classes in coming weeks ahead, Deccan Chronicle collated this series of reports starting today to narrow down on understanding challenges ahead for schools to operate even as the pandemic is ongoing. Visiting schools in private, budget and government categories to understand what different futures hold for children, parents and teachers of these three vastly different universes.

We start the 3-part series with a review of government schools.

Are government schools prepared?

No one quite violates or ignores government regulations as the government itself. Proving this is the gulf in priority of opening government schools. While officials in the education department remain non-committal, teachers have been urging them to restart physical classes.

However, the situation on the ground doesn’t seem ideal in most of these schools, devoid of rudimentary amenities to prevent the spread of Covid.

A single room community hall, filled with dust and miscellaneous things scattered around like a store room, only two teachers dividing their day between visiting students at their homes in nearby areas, walking about five kilometres one-way each day to assess their progress, struggling to get online classes completed while still learning themselves everyday – these were the key highlights of the condition at one of the government school in Sun City.

A teacher confessed that the community hall was being used to conduct classes for students of grades one (1) to five (5), with a total strength of 117 students. Due to lack of space, some classes were even conducted outside in the corridor near the hall’s entrance.

“Construction for a new building has been going on for a long time now. Meanwhile, we have been managing within this limited space. Government says the construction is nearly eight per cent complete. But it is the government saying it, so we don’t know,” she said.

Teachers said they have been facing troubles due to non-cooperation by local people, who are protesting claiming the community hall was public property and could not be used as a school. There has been no support from the local body either.

Teachers complain they have to clean dust on most days to sit and hold online classes. Deep cleaning or sanitisation is a luxury they cannot even dream about. Teachers are scared of complaining to higher authorities for fear of getting suspended.

At a government school in Kanakamamidi, sanitisation and deep cleaning took place only once, management claimed, when schools were opened for teachers. But with over half the staff having contracted Coronavirus, ever since teachers started visiting houses of students for assessment, cases have increased in the village.

In Nadergul, Rangareddy district, at least four teachers have reportedly died of Covid after resumption of online classes. Other health problems have also surfaced among teachers, mainly due to stress after online classes started.

Teachers at most government schools complained that online classes are not doing any good for students. They worry whether social distancing norms could be put in place once physical classes start.

Chava Ravi, general secretary, TSUTF, said the problem of congested infrastructure and lack of sanitisation is limited only to 20 to 30 per cent of government schools. The government should resolve it effectively soon.”