Schools have reopened in some parts of Jammu and Kashmir. In other parts including Kashmir Valley, the schools are reopening after February 28. The news that children are going to school is most welcome, more so in Jammu and Kashmir. It is almost after more than 31 months that children have, or will be in school.
The schools have remained closed in Jammu and Kashmir, more than in any part of India or globe. While the pandemic forced the closure of educational institutions in mid-March in 2020 when the virus was declared a pandemic around the world, the schools, colleges and universities had reopened after seven-month closure in the wake of the revocation of Article 370 in August 2019.
Even when reopened, attendance at educational institutions remained voluntary as the guidelines by the government of India specify that parents can decide what their wards should do. Most parents gave consent and school resumption seemed uninterrupted until covid-19 announced an unpleasant return.
Educationists and NGOs have been voicing concerns on far-reaching and deadly implications on the future of youngsters. Amid fast fading 3rd wave of the covid-19 pandemic, all this has naturally added to the concern of the people and authorities to reopen schools.
Online education can never replace offline education and this fact stands proved beyond doubt. The Lieutenant governor has rightly emphasized on the ensuring enabling environment while underling that education and health form the very important areas of responsibility for the administration. In his monthly radio program, the lieutenant governor said that the education in the post-Covid phase had to prioritize health and “now, with the (covid-19) cases on decline, opening of schools and creation of Happiness Zones, we are aiming to facilitate an interactive environment that was missing in the online mode of classes.”
After ensuring an ‘enabling’ environment, the administration should also devote time and energy in bringing children from underprivileged households into school. The pandemic-forced disturbances have caused economic distress among many people and in-turn has led to an increase in dropout rate of students from unprivileged sections of the society. Improving the school system in terms of size, infrastructure, access, quality and affordability for all calls for extra efforts and all measures from manpower to availability of funds need to be made available.
