Guwahati schools gear up to welcome back students after long COVID-19 lockdown

Guwahati: At long last, the schools across Assam are gearing up to welcome back their students by following regulations prescribed by the Government which says that students will attend purely "based on parental consent." Students from the 6th standard onwards will now be allowed to attend classes after the lockdown that came into effect in March of this year. Some of the prominent educationists of Guwahati city, although wary of the challenges that will be posited by the virus that still remains at large, are welcoming a return back to their regular schedules.

“Standard timings and other standards shall be adhered to and students will be welcomed back with all the necessary rules and guidelines in effect. We have so far been imparting education via online classes and are ready to carry on the thread and resume physical classes for students from tomorrow," says founder and Managing Trustee of Maria's Public School, Nellie Ahmed. "We are completely geared up to resume where we left off and 99% of the students are in sync with their classes. Kudos to the teachers across the world who have done a fantastic job fighting against all the odds. Basically, safety protocols will be enforced everywhere -- including the school buses -- so that nothing is left undone."

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Father Sebastian Mathew, the Principal of Don Bosco School, says the school's authorities have taken all the precautions to welcome back the students to an environment of safety. "People are on the roads and they are now thronging restaurants and malls, and the roads are always choc-a-bloc with vehicles. The school is not the only place where the virus can spread. There is no 100% guarantee of anything in life, but everyone should take personal protection. For now, we will be conducting classes in the mornings and afternoons for classes 9-12 for 3 hours. They are free to come if they wish, after taking permission from their parents, of course."

Arupa Patgiri, the Principal of Ulubari Higher Secondary School, has expressed that the school is being sanitized on a regular basis and precautions will be taken going forward. "We have also brought masks and the senior students have already been provided with those. We will check the temperatures of all students before admitting them. Till now, none of the students have tested positive for COVID-19. Although some of the teachers tested positive, they are not coming to the school and imparting education through the online mode instead."

Schools in Assam are set to reopen from Monday after over seven months of being shut in the view of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic. Chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal has directed the education department to ensure the guidelines are adhered to while reopening schools.

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