On Sunday, both the Central government and the state government of Karnataka has expressed the desire to reopen the schools in July. However, the residents of Bengaluru are skeptical to send their kids to school.
A group called ‘Parents Association’ has started an online petition where the members have signed to agree that they will not send their children to schools even though the government opens the schools. They even said that they will only allow their kids after the government declares the state coronavirus-free or until a vaccine is available. The petition also termed the move to open the schools in July as ‘insane’. The petition on Change.org said,
“It is like playing with fire when we ought to douse it with full force. The parents should fight against this stupidity with tooth and nail, not a single child to be sent to the schools for their own safety. If schools claim they are doing a good job via virtual learning, why not continue it for the rest of the academic year?”
Many schools have supported the petition
The petition has so far gained 1,06,500 signatures as of the evening of 31st of May. Along with the parents, many pre-primary schools to have supported virtual learning despite the NIMHAN’s recommending against it. The co-founder and chief executive officer of EuroKids Prajodh Rajan said,
“These are unprecedented times and they need an entirely new perspective toward how we approach a problem, which in this case is ensuring learning for our young children does not hit a roadblock. Considering that the physical environment today is not conducive and safe for young children, it’s imperative that learning moves from on-ground classrooms to a digital environment where our students are interacting with their teachers and classmates, from the safety of their own homes.”
The Urban district of Bengaluru has reported 359 positive cases of COVID-19 as of Monday evening. The city has 117 active cases while it has seen 231 successful recoveries. There have been 10 deaths in the city due to COVID-19. The BBMP Commissioner, BH Anil Kumar believes that the city’s number is bound to go up from the 1st of June when many activities will be permitted.
Source: The Indian Express