---- 7 top unavoidable factors to consider while re-opening of school.

 

For the last 17 months school had been closed and there is uncertainty in its reopening. 

"Research on violations against children during the pandemic"-a total guidance of UNICEF for fact-finding had no doubt reflect the very fact of abuse, violence & harmful practice of children. Child labour had increased in insignificant proportion due to the closure of schools.

       Here our concern obviously is much more for the children who belong to the underprivileged category. Closure of school had an impact on their nutrition, physical & mental health, child safety as well. This no doubt will indicate the requirement of school reopening. But some interlinked factors should also be emphasized with school reopening consideration. 

       Recently,  I have attended a webinar with Ngo representatives, eminent parliamentarians, Educators etc on the school reopening issue. It was really a good step by the organizer for arranging such a beautiful discussion on the urge of school reopening. But throughout the discussion somewhere I felt some missing factors that are interlinked with children, their increasing dropping rate during covid & these should be given priority while school reopening. 

           Blogging is the place where we all bloggers share our curiosity, knowledge. We discuss for the sake of developing self & for the welfare/adding value in our society. The following factors might have been mentioned by someone, somewhere but it's highlighting in this article seemed to me as important & inevitable.

1. Income instability:- Income instability of the family had made the situation worst & the middleman is trapping children of such families for child labour practice. So, political willingness should be there not only to address the issue but for comprehensive solutions like linking family with existing SHG (self-help group) in areas, governmental schemes etc.                                                                                    Hunger is such a factor that makes human beings bound to make a decision that is not desirable for civic society. For such reality, people had been seen to be engaged in child trafficking, child labour, selling of children. I am not saying that there is not any step taken so far to face this challenge but somewhere political colour, competition of establishing as the saviour in mass media, red-tapism polarisation factor --all these had been established as the priority rather than relieving target beneficiaries actually
2. To extend Non-institutional services (adoption, sponsorship, foster family) to the target population. This service is there only on paper & may be available to some portion. Now in the pandemic, it should be extended to cover more children.
3. Converting best effort for the service provider to the obligation that will relate to their career prospect also. In India-                                                                                                                     only 5.25% of school provision is as per RT(Right of children for free & compulsory education act) norms & only25.5% of schools are fully compliant. A large number of schools are still to be covered by RT norms for accommodating children belongs to the underprivileged section in rural areas, tribal areas & slums. 
4. Establishing limit setting factors for control of Private players in school education----  You might have seen the presence of online education & we are happy that our children are continuing their education anyhow in the pandemic. But with that, you have also observed that maximum had been covered by branded schooling system where only children from an affluent family with all facilities of having a laptop & desktop can access the privilege.                                                                 You might say this is known to all. Yes, all we know but I liked the talk show (that I had watched on national TV) with a chief minister(of a state which I don't want to mention) who insisted that he would upgrade the level of Govt schools as per the branded private one so that even a child of daily labour would be able to compete for all the way as per the child of affluent families studying in so-called branded private school.                                                                                       In a developing country like us, it is not possible for the majority of families to send children to well-established schools. Thus from childhood, there starts face value based discrimination between good, bad factors in quality.                                                                                                                             A large number of students of remote areas can't access online education facilities. Only up-gradation of school infrastructure, facilities will be helpful in removing the polarisation factor.
5. School to work as a facilitator in IGP(income generation programme)-- School system is comprised of two main stakeholders-- School administration/teachers and parents as partners. It would be beneficial if the step is taken to facilitate the establishing & providing knowledge about SHG formation to market linkage. Believe me, school is the place where you can track those families not only undergoing financial hardship but also covering its challenge. Financial stability (to whatever extent) will bring children back to school.
6. Emphasizing much more on behaviour change education:-                                                                      Only providing facilities to the underprivileged society can't be a way to relieve them from their sufferings & to stop school drop out /child labour.  I have been working in the developmental sector for 18 years. Yet what I felt -  the need for their behaviour change & some practice as some of the important causative factors for the vicious poverty cycle & sufferings.                                                      To them, still more children mean more income & they try to engage their children for earning. Thus emphasizing an immediate solution for earning at the cost of school dropout &engaging as child labour is the dangerous existing practice that reflects the need for behavioural change. This is the place where we should have more patience in continuous advocacy & campaign. The non-profit organization has to play here a great role in mobilising people for adopting appropriate behaviour practices.
7.  Covering Children (especially 12 years onwards) & their families with vaccination & initiation of proper monitoring related to that.  
   
   
   

It is fact that we have to go a far way for schools to have more infrastructure for inclusive & outcome-based education. But we shouldn't neglect children already in schools & this should be reopened. We don't know whether 3rd wave will be the last one or we have to face any more waves. In our society, we don't have the vaccine for disease for eg--TB but we have treatment & that's why we become fearless over this disease.  Scientists had developed vaccines for COVID 19 & are working to develop more to prevent its variants.

   We should learn to live with COVID 19 by emphasizing on covid appropriate behaviour. Our children should not suffer more. It is rightly said that if you want to feed a child for one day you can provide foodstuff but if you want to feed him/her throughout their life then ensure their education. They themselves will be able to look after & become self-independent. 

            Reopening schools no doubt will be beneficial to children but the following measures should  be taken while reopening--

• Schools should develop a special SOP(Standard Operation Procedure) related to the present situation & how schools can be run with safety for the students.
• There must be facilities like a tie-up with the hospital & an immediate call on the doctor.
• Persisting of alternate days on the class attending system.
• Persisting both online & offline initially if possible for the sake of children's safety.
• Sensitization of children & parents on covid appropriate behaviour.
• Regular sanitization of classroom & school bus.
• Assuring children & parents have been vaccinated.
• Educating children to aware not to develop fear regarding this pandemic.
• Parents & other visitors shouldn't be allowed to enter into school premises.                                                             
  
  
  
• Facilities like frequent handwashing with soap or using hand sanitizer, placing with safety while taking meals, regular cleaning of used surface etc are must & pre-conditions for re-opening.    

School reopening is not only necessary for children's education. For the last few months, they are suffering from physical & mental health issues too. They are deprived of social learning, missing their friends, playing together with peers. 

Of course, children's life & safety is an important matter. But when vaccines are available(for adults & soon it will be for the children as well) & there is uncertainty in the number of waves even after 3rd one, it is better to face it with all available precautions, awareness, following covid appropriate behaviour and simultaneously running of schooling system at the earliest. 

NGO has a crucial part to play here. It can adapt strategies for mass awareness, advocacy & campaign to create a pressure group for several interlinked reasons--- Access of vaccine for all, food & work for the target beneficiaries & above all-reopening of school as soon as possible. Let us work together to help children getting their childhood to the extent- possible...