Tirupati: Tense parents send kids back to schools

Tirupati: After a long break due to Covid pandemic, students were back to schools on Monday as they are reopened following the fall in coronavirus cases. The parents have brought their children to the schools and were seen instructing them on various precautions amid the Covid threat.

The first day witnessed very poor attendance in several schools while it was even dull in lower classes compared to Class X. When The Hans India interacted with a few parents at MGM High School in Bairagipatteda, they all have expressed almost similar views in sending the children back to schools.

A mother said that she brought the children to school amid severe tense situation. "So far we have protected them well.

Now, they will be mixing and moving up with other children coming from various areas in which a great risk is involved. Yet, when schools are running we cannot confine our children to homes. I have given them mask and sanitiser and gave all instructions," she explained.

Another woman said that her two children are in Classes 5 and 7 to whom she had given masks and sanitisers. "We have been keep on explaining them how to use sanitiser and mask, etc., for quite some time. The young children cannot understand the lessons through virtual mode.

Alternatively, risk is involved in attending schools. It is a double whammy for us but we have no option," she averred.

Some other mothers said that they will observe how the children are being taken care of at schools for a few days and will not hesitate to stop them going to schools if things worsen. They also opined that the government should speed up the process of introducing vaccine for children.

However, Class X students have shown sanitiser bottles with them and said that they want offline classes at least from now onwards and felt the online classes not at all useful. The teachers on the other hand have been taking letters from the parents that they are willing to send the children to schools.

School in-charge headmaster B Madhusdan Reddy said that teachers are all vaccinated and the municipal corporation authorities have sanitised all classrooms.

They have sent messages to all parents to keep a vigil on their children and if anyone in their family is found to have fever, cold, cough or any other symptom, their children should not be sent to school.