Private schools in UP urge Govt to reopen

The schools in the state are closed for the past one month, while buses, markets, parks, railways are running and children along with their parents are going to these places.

The Association of private schools in Uttar Pradesh have demanded the reopening of schools in the state. Schools in the state are closed for the past month since the nation saw a surge in cases of COVID-19 Omicrone variant.

The private schools association has sent a letter to the UP Chief Secretary demanding immediate reopening of schools in the interest of students. The association has argued why it is always the students who are made to sit home whenever pandemic–related restrictions are imposed.

The letter reads: “The schools in the state are closed for past one month, while buses, markets, parks, railways are running and children along with their parents are going to these places. In such a scenario keeping schools closed is like playing with the future of children.” It further states that if schools are not reopened school, the disruption caused by the closing of schools will have a long-lasting negative impact on their education and future.

In their letter, the schools have also stated that when schools were reopened for all the classes last year, not just schools were functioning smoothly but no cases of corona among children were reported in the state. “In such a scenario it is injustice towards children to keep schools closed,” states the letter.

As of now, the schools in the state are shut till January 31 but there is no official statement yet on whether they will reopen after that date in the poll-bound state.

The association has also quoted a statement by World Bank Global Education Director Jaime Saavedra, when last month he stated that there is no justification now for keeping schools closed in view of the pandemic and even if there are new waves, closing schools should be the last resort, Saavedra had said.

Saavedra’s team has been tracking the impact of COVID-19 on the education sector. He said that there is no evidence that reopening schools has caused a surge in coronavirus cases and that schools are not a "safe place".

“So we request you to issue an order regarding reopening of schools across the state,” reads the letter from UP private schools association.

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