Omicron scare brings back Covid protocols in schools

Hyderabad: With the new Omicron variant spreading across the world, the education department officials have directed schools to proactively adopt Covid protocols as a precautionary measure to fend against the virus's spread, while stating that they are awaiting health department directives on the same.

Education secretary Vakati Karuna stated that generic cautionary messages have been conveyed to schools, instructing students to maintain social distance, wash their hands frequently, and wear masks in crowded spaces.

"No specific guidelines have been issued. We will follow and advise stringent Covid-19 protocols in schools as soon as we receive directions from the health department,” she said.

Meanwhile, teachers from both SSC and CBSE schools have noted that students are not prepared for another lockdown and have raised numerous concerns regarding the lockdown, online courses, examinations, and other issues.

Examinations at CBSE schools will begin on January 2. As a result, CBSE schools began sanitising their facilities on Saturday in order to maintain hygiene and ensure zero Covid-19 cases, particularly during examinations.

According to Sangeeta Raghuram, principal of a CBSE school in the city, when students were casually questioned about online classes, they immediately objected. "Students are not in the frame of mind to face so much pressure again. Their academic performance may deteriorate. They're already struggling to cope up with the pressure," she stated.

While private schools have the resources to follow Covid-19 rules, it appears that most government schools do not. Despite having faced three waves of Covid-19, government school teachers believe that the authorities have not learnt from their mistakes.

"Government schools are not provided with soaps or sanitisers. As a result of a scarcity of resources, hygiene suffers, endangering the lives of students, teachers, and other staff,” stated Khaja M, a government school teacher.

Maintaining social distance protocol requires certain basic infrastructure, such as enough space in classrooms for students to maintain distance. However, maintaining social distance in government schools is a far cry as they face severe space constraints, Khaja stated. "Not all schools have enough capacity to seat students in rows due to space constraints," he said.

Students, for their part, voiced concerns about online classes, claiming that hopping between online and offline classes for two years had made it impossible for them to keep up academically. They claimed that another severe Covid-19 outbreak would not only affect their academic achievement but also create mental distress.