Chandigarh Parents expressed reluctance to send their children to school on Thursday after a class 6 student at St Kabir Public School, Sector 26 tested positive for Covid-19.
Schools in the city operate on a hybrid model, with students having the option of choosing between online and offline courses. There were, however, incentives for students who took courses offline.
A parent whose children attend a private school in the city described how the school gave special prizes to students who come for offline classes, before adding that children who attend online classes face challenges. problems and often feel overlooked.
Discussing the situation for the exams, Nitin Goyal, President of the Chandigarh Parents Association (CPA), said, “Looking at the situation, the exams organized at school level should be taken online. Additionally, for counseling classes, one should also consider taking the first trimester exams online. “
While the Class 10 exams for CBSE and ICSE boards have already been completed, Class 12 still has a few pending.
Goyal also revealed that some private schools have also made participation in offline classes mandatory, adding that this was an issue UT’s education department needed to address.
“While parents are afraid to come forward, the WhatsApp groups in most of the major schools all share this sentiment,” he added.
Attendance remains high
Meanwhile, private schools have insisted that attendance continues to remain high. HS Mamik, President of the Association of Independent Schools (ISA), said: “Our participation in junior classes has reached 99% and will remain high as parents feel their children are missing out on online classes.”
Gurpreet Bakshi, administrator of St Kabir, added: “It remains to be seen if there will be a drop in attendance after our reopening for physical classes from Monday, but the online model has been a success for us earlier. and we can make the hybrid model work. For semester exams, we always get 100% attendance. “
The ministry continues to monitor the situation
The UT educational service is closely monitoring the Covid-19 situation. District Education Officer (DEO) Prabhjot Kaur said: “We will be monitoring cases and winter break may be postponed and grade level exams may be rescheduled depending on the situation. For the rest we will follow the instructions of the senior officials. All the Covid protocol is strictly followed in schools. “
Authorities further revealed that a total of three students had tested positive for Covid-19 in recent weeks, including two from private schools. The protocol would have been followed in each of the schools.