RAJ KUMAR
Ranchi, Aug. 3: As the State Disaster Management Authority allowed offline classes in schools for senior students (Class 9 to 12), academic institutions in the state capital have started chalking out strategies to ensure how they can organise classes with attention to the safety of students and quality of education.
Every school is planning according to the infrastructure available and the convenience of students, parents, and teachers. However, a concrete modus operandi is yet to emerge on how the schools will run offline classes for senior section students.
Chief coordinator of Bishop Westcott Boys’ School, Namkum, Tapas Kumar Chakraborthy, confirmed the situation saying his school will make a decision within a day or two.
“We have many boarding students and thus we will take one or two days to decide how to run offline classes,” Chakraborthy said.
The principal of Delhi Public School, Ram Singh, could not be contacted for his comment on the matter. An insider, however, said the school is contemplating adopting an odd-even system to run offline classes.
“Students with odd roll numbers will be called on odd dates and students with even roll numbers will be called on even dates. Online classes will also run and the students, whose parents do not give their consent to attend offline classes, can attend online classes as usual,” the insider said.
Principal of D.A.V.Kapildev, M.K.Sinha, said he will have an online meeting with parents tomorrow before the final decision.
“We have sufficient rooms in our schools. So far we have planned to accommodate 16 to 17 students in each class and accommodate all students if their parents give consent,” Sinha said.
Sinha is also secretary of Sahodaya, an organisation of principals of all CBSE affiliated English medium private schools of the city. When asked whether the same method will be adopted in the schools which are members of Sahodaya, Sinha said: “No, different schools will plan according to available infrastructure.”
Amresh Kumar Shrivastava, secretary of Jharkhand Unaided Private Schools, said he will make a decision in a meeting scheduled today in the evening.
“There are 700 members in my organisation. We will discuss the matter in the evening and will come to any conclusion after the discussion,” Shrivastava said.
Director (academics) of a school of differently-abled children, Deepshikha, Alka Haque Nizamie, said she will start offline classes only when children are vaccinated.
“We impart education to special children and thus have planned to start offline classes only when they will be vaccinated because for organising classes for special children sanitation comes as a big issue,” Nizamie said.
Asked whether she is not facing problems in imparting online education, Nizamie said: “Not much as parents are co-operating.”
Meanwhile, Surendra Nath Centenary School, a CBSE affiliated school at Deepatoli which has planned to open the school from August 9, came out with circulars for parents regarding offline classes.
According to the circular, school timing will be from 7.40 am to 12noon and students are supposed to wear the uniform, well-fitted mask, face shield, and hand gloves. Apart from this, the circular expects all students to keep a safety kit containing hand sanitizer, a small towel, etc.
The school circular also prohibits sharing of stationery items and expects each student to bring home-cooked food and water bottles. The school planned no outdoor game and asked students to wear masks all the time and maintain physical distancing norms.
The school advises all students to attend offline classes because practicals and internal assessments will be conducted in the school.
