Over 4 Lakh Sign Petition Against Opening Schools Without Vaccine

The petition says schools should reopen only if COVID-19 cases come down to zero or if a vaccine is developed.

Days after the Ministry of Home Affairs said that schools and colleges could be opened under phase II in July this year, over 4.5 lakh people have signed a Change.org petition, demanding that children not be sent to schools “for their own safety” till a COVID-19 vaccine is developed or the number of cases in a state comes down to zero.

“Opening of schools in July will be the worst decision by the government. It’s insane. It’s like playing with fire when we ought to douse it with full force. The parents should fight against this stupidity with tooth n nail, not a single child to be sent to the schools for their own safety.”

As mentioned in the petition.

The petition also suggests that the current academic session should be continued online, as quite a few schools have shifted online. Parents Association, the body that started the petition said “that the current academic session should continue in e-learning mode. If the schools claim that they are doing a good job via virtual learning then why not continue it for the rest of the academic year."

The association further added that "reopening schools would be like playing with fire, at a time when we ought to douse it with full force. Therefore, we have started a petition on Change.org, requesting the government to not go ahead with this decision.”

Delhi parent Kanika Khybri said she signed the petition as it is important for schools to stay shut till vaccine comes out and since those below 10 years are really vulnerable.

“The chances of infection spreading are very high in schools. How can a 5-year-old not play and then not use the same hands to touch his face or his eyes? I do not want to expose my child to any such environment.”

Kanika Khybri, parent of a 5-year-old.

On 30 May, the Ministry of Home Affairs had said that schools, colleges and other educational institutions would be reopened after consultations with different states.

While asking states to engage parents and other stakeholders in these discussions, the MHA added that a decision on the matter would be taken in July, after receiving information from state governments.

The MHA also added that schools will only be reopened after detailed guidelines on social distancing from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Karnataka has proposed to reopen schools in a staggered manner, from 1 July, reports The News Minute.

According to this proposal, classes 4-7 could resume from July 1, while classes 8-10 could resume from 15 July. Further, splitting classes between two shifts and calling students on alternate days are among a series of mesures suggested by Karnataka.

Meanwhile, the NCERT, in its report to the Human Resource Ministry had suggested that schools could reopen for classes 8-12 in Green and Orange zones, as and when the lockdown is lifted. The NCERT had proposed that only one-third of the students be called in, while exempting those below the seventh grade.