The pathology of school closure in India

News: According to a United Nations report, India has become the country with the second longest COVID-19 pandemic-linked school closure in the world.

Why Indian schools remain reluctant to reopen?

First, misinformation such as ‘the third wave would affect children’ made by influential individuals have scared parents.

Second, occasional incidents of children being hospitalised are shown repeatedly on television channels to sensationalize the matter and gain target rating point (TRP).

Third, the small section of privileged parents is being treated as representatives of all parents. The surveys had indicated that poor and middle-class parents from all parts of the country want schools to be open. But they are not involved in decision-making, and hence it deprives children from marginalized backgrounds of their right to education.

Fourth, the Government has not responded to misinformation timely and the matter of reopening schools has been politicized. Also, the experience of the second wave has shaken the trust of the average citizen in the Government.

What has been done by the government?

In the Union Budget 2022-23, government has proposed ‘one class, one TV channel’ programme under Pradhan Mantri eVidya. It aims to impart supplementary teaching. It will change the perception of equating learning with syllabus completion.

However, the School Children’s Online and Offline Learning (SCHOOL) survey in India has shown that TV-based education programs are completely ineffective.

How adoption ‘PERI’ can help?

To ensure that schools start functioning at full capacity, a structured approach of P-E-R-I: Prepare; Engage; Reimagine and Innovate needs to be adopted. Also, the necessary planning and perspective on the risk of COVID-19 are essential.

In case of rise in COVID-19, every State needs to develop a road map to prevent avoidable disruptions. The objective criteria for school closure need to be developed and such a decision should be implemented in a decentralised manner at the block or the district level.

Also, engaging with key stakeholders including parents, and raising awareness about the importance of in-person education and the concept of holistic child development is required. It will help in countering any misinformation and bring learning on track.

What is the way forward?

First, Anganwadi, Pre-nursery, and nursery schools should be opened urgently and immediately to recover from learning and nutrition loss.

Second, Special initiatives and socio-political engagement need to be started so that every single child who is in need of education or who has dropped out or has been pushed into child labour can return to in-person learning.

Third, there is a need to revive school health services and institutionalize regular counselling and mental health services for school-age children.

Fourth, there is a need to prepare a medium to long-term plan to compensate for the learning loss, with a focus on overall child development through strategic and innovative thinking.

Fifth, hesitation in reopening institutions is the symptom of a flawed education system and shows the value that is attached to school education. Hence, it is a socio-political responsibility to ensure the safe return of every child in the country.

Source: This post is based on the article “The pathology of school closure in India” published in The Hindu on 16^th Feb 2022.