By Manjima Dhakal
Kathmandu, Apr. 14: Though the government has not yet decided to close schools in light of the resurging COVID-19 cases, many guardians of students in Kathmandu-based schools have decided not to send their children to schools.
The Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) has recommended for the closure of schools for some time, but the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MoEST) wants to continue classes by following the health protocols.
Lenin Banjade, a guardian of a five grader, made his decision public on social media on Monday, saying that that he has decided not to send his son to school because if he did, he would have to regret in the future. He also said online classes were the viable alternative if the guardians wanted to keep children out of harm’s way.
However, other guardians have different view. Ranju Dhakal, for instance, said that the closure of schools could not be a solution at a time when other sectors are in service and that children could get infected from their parents who go to work.
Dhakal added that it would be very difficult to handle children at home for those parents who needed to go to work.
Some schools in the Valley have already decided to close. Learning Realm International (LRI), is one of them. Yog Raj Dhungana, a guardian whose child is enrolled in that school expressed happiness over the school’s decision.
Dr. Anup Bastola said schools were becoming the hotspot for the transmission of new variant of the coronavirus in stark contrast to the first wave of the pandemic and then asked the stakeholders to be serious about children’s health.
Khagraj Baral, secretary at the COVID Crisis Management Committee (CCMC), said the committee has recommended District Crisis Management Committee (DCMC) at local levels to decide whether to close the school or not.
He added that now DCMC could take decisions about particular schools in coordination with the local governments. However, in an interaction programme held at the MoEST on Monday, stakeholders of education have suggested the government not to close schools.
In the meeting called by MoEST to hear the view of stakeholders about school operation in light of the resurgent pandemic, representatives of school operators, local governments, guardians, teachers and others stated that the closure of education institutions should not be made the last resort.
The meeting suggested closing schools only in high-risk area.