Corona and Back to School

As a nation we have now entered first phase of Unlock. Different versions of Unlock currently exist within our country depending on the zone category. I am finding it difficult to find a single brief document which gives thought process of the authorities about future steps they plan to take. The number of Covid-19 patients continues to grow, but due to various factors such as adverse impact on economy, struggle for survival of significant number of Indian citizens; we are sort of compelled to enter the first phase of Unlock. 

The subject of this post is about timing of the Back to School event in India. Most of the educational institutes are currently closed for physical classroom sessions and are operating in virtual mode. At some point of time, authorities will have to take decision on physical reopening of schools.

My request to all concerned authorities is to make a plan to operate in Virtual mode for this entire academic year. This may sound an extreme request to some. But we need to protect our students. 

1. There may be very few school institutes who can assure 100% safety of the students on their premises. In rest of the educational institutes the students will always run into risk of getting infected. 
2. Many students will run risk of infection during their journey to school via school buses, public transport. 
3. Across the schools, it will be really difficult to arrive at agreement on single date for school reopening. This will put some students at disadvantage. 
4. For important landmark years such as 10th, 12th or final year of graduation, it is not fair to keep students in anxiety for most part of the year. If now it becomes clear that the entire year is going to be in virtual mode then even the academic institutes can plan in better way. The logistics about how to carry practical examinations can be worked out in next few weeks. 

On the down side, the students in rural areas will suffer due to lack of necessary infrastructure which will help them attend these virtual sessions. As a nation, I believe we will have to stand-up and create required infrastructure immediately. 

I understand that this is not a ideal ask. But my request is driven by the worry that even if 10% of India's total student population gets infected then it will leave significant emotional impact on them for rest of their lives. At this point,we are not sure if Covid-19 is going to make any permanent health issues for someone who is infected. Instead of that we should bring all support behind our students community and help them absorb the impact of one academic year being conducted in virtual mode. 

My sincere request to authorities is to think through this in detail and take an informed decision within next month. Last thing we want is to keep our students waiting for the clarity about classrooms, examination and becoming unnecessarily anxious. Their future lives are going throw enough anxiety at them, we can take some effort to minimize some during their academic life.