Should India Reopen Schools or Provide Equitable Education First?

As schools are set to reopen, how can we ensure that students across diverse groups are not left behind?

The Ministry of Home Affairs announced a partial re-opening of schools from 21 September for students between classes 9 and 12.

(Photo: The Quint)

Should schools reopen in India or should they not? If they don't reopen now, when will be the right time to get students back to school?

As the Ministry of Home Affairs announced a partial re-opening of schools from 21 September saying that students between classes 9 and 12 will be permitted to go back to school on a voluntary basis, it’s raising these questions on whether India is ready to reopen its schools or not.

For some perspective on how school students have been impacted in this pandemic, according to a report on Oxfam, since schools shut down during the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak in India, 80 percent of school children enrolled in government schools in five states in the northern belt of India did not receive any form of education.

In a sector that has been trying to transition to the digital mode desperately, only 20 percent of teachers working in government schools were trained for delivering classes online.

So, what does this data say about the way forward? As schools are set to reopen, how can we ensure that students across diverse groups, including the ones from marginalised communities, are not left behind? And how can India ensure a safe return to school for students? Tune in to The Big Story!