Reopening schools

EDITORIAL: It seems the government has pretty much made up its mind about reopening schools in mid-September, considering that the number of positive Covid-19 cases has declined significantly, and it feels confident enough to take the locks off pretty much everything that had been shut down. Why else would the prime minister reiterate the decision to reopen all educational institutions on September 15 and direct provinces to make necessary arrangements even though the ministry of education has already said that it would take the final decision on September 7? The government no doubt wishes to keep a very important and vibrant sector of the economy from suffering and further, while ensuring that a large number of children who do not have access to remote learning facilities do not miss out on their crucial education any longer. But a lot more thought needs to go into a decision like this and even though lobbies representing private schools have understandably welcomed the decision, large groups of people including doctors and parents are very worried about sending children back to school just yet.

However, it is also very important to understand the other side of the argument. No parent would ever want their children to be put in harm's way even if it means sacrificing a year or so of their education. But it's also not as if they can keep their children tucked away from all dangers and expect the school system to be there waiting for them when one fine day the trouble goes away. There are, after all, only so many schools that can keep their students engaged with online classes and ensure that any losses to their learning are restricted to a minimum, but what about other institutions that do not have the resources to enable such outreach? How will teachers and all the workers there survive if everybody keeps their children at home even when the government deems it safe to reopen? While the main concerns of the parents make a lot of sense, those who run countries just do not have the luxury of appreciating just one part of the story. And now that the government has reopened a number of sectors with very encouraging results, its desire to move on to schools is understandable and a number of other countries are exploring the same idea.

Therefore, the most pressing debate now should not be whether or not to listen to the government if it reopens schools but rather how the new school environment can be made as safe as humanly possible for all the teachers and students. Perhaps it's a good idea to adopt a top-down approach instead of rushing all the students back at the same time. The first to open should be universities. The students there are mature and can be expected to follow safety instructions very carefully. It can also provide a very important testing phase for the next steps and if everything goes well then colleges, higher secondary schools and secondary schools can follow one after the other. As for problems presented by limited infrastructure, since schools cannot be expected to suddenly increase the number of classrooms, it would be a good idea for institutions that operate single shifts to scatter their shifts so the limited number of classrooms can be put to more productive use. And, of course, it must be ensured that the strictest social safety protocols are observed. It would be a crying shame if all the good work that has been done is undone by reopening schools.

Just the other day, the United Nations warned that one-third of all students in the world have been completely cut off from education since the pandemic because they have no access to distance learning. These are frightening trends. That is why every government must make every effort possible to return children's lives to normal as soon as possible. Pakistan has the advantage of being one of the very few countries in the world that have controlled the coronavirus so successfully. We must now press this advantage, but very carefully. The situation requires parents to act as responsibly as the government itself. They must make their children understand the extreme seriousness of the situation before putting their uniforms on and sending them back to school. If parents and students will make the teachers' and administration's jobs easier, there is no reason that the whole thing cannot be done in a safe and secure manner.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020