Online Courses Continue, Parental Consent Still In Effect, Says Madhya Pradesh Minister | Bhopal News
BHOPAL: Online classes will continue in schools in Madhya Pradesh, along with the need for parental consent for their children to attend classes offline, School Education Minister Inder Singh Parmar told TOI on Friday.
After the state government lifted all Covid restrictions on Wednesday and allowed 100% school attendance, there was intense speculation that online classes would be halted from next week.
However, the minister said on Friday that e-education would continue. “Schools can run offline classes starting next week at full capacity. Several parents have expressed concern that they will not be able to send their children to school for offline lessons. In such a situation, it has been decided that online courses will be allowed alongside offline courses. Schools will have to follow the instructions, ”Parmar told TOI.
He clarified that parents cannot be forced to send their children to offline lessons. “As online courses will be activated, it is clear that students who wish to study at home can do so,” said the minister.
A large part of parents fear that allowing schools to run classes offline at full capacity might be risky as the fear of the third wave of Covid still lurks and children are not yet vaccinated.
When it was unsure whether online classes would continue, the majority of parents TOI spoke to wondered if the government and schools would take responsibility if children were infected on campus. Schools have repeatedly assured parents that they are strictly following Covid precautions.
“The consent letter my child’s school sent us made it clear that the school would not be held responsible if a student is infected. It’s not done, ”said Soni Sharma. However, many schools do not have such disclaimers. They simply ask parents for a “yes” or “no” answer.
Some parents are also worried that schools will increase fees if they are allowed to run classes offline at full capacity. “This is a very bad situation. Parents are already facing several problems due to the effects of the pandemic, and if the school fees are increased, their problems will be aggravated,” said a parent, Ashok Yadav.
After remaining closed for several months due to coronavirus-induced curbs, schools reopened in Madhya Pradesh on July 26, with class 12 students allowed 50% attendance. By September 21, all classes had resumed, with parental consent and a 50% capacity. Attendance was low initially, but has since increased.
After the state government lifted all Covid restrictions on Wednesday and allowed 100% school attendance, there was intense speculation that online classes would be halted from next week.
However, the minister said on Friday that e-education would continue. “Schools can run offline classes starting next week at full capacity. Several parents have expressed concern that they will not be able to send their children to school for offline lessons. In such a situation, it has been decided that online courses will be allowed alongside offline courses. Schools will have to follow the instructions, ”Parmar told TOI.
He clarified that parents cannot be forced to send their children to offline lessons. “As online courses will be activated, it is clear that students who wish to study at home can do so,” said the minister.
A large part of parents fear that allowing schools to run classes offline at full capacity might be risky as the fear of the third wave of Covid still lurks and children are not yet vaccinated.
When it was unsure whether online classes would continue, the majority of parents TOI spoke to wondered if the government and schools would take responsibility if children were infected on campus. Schools have repeatedly assured parents that they are strictly following Covid precautions.
“The consent letter my child’s school sent us made it clear that the school would not be held responsible if a student is infected. It’s not done, ”said Soni Sharma. However, many schools do not have such disclaimers. They simply ask parents for a “yes” or “no” answer.
Some parents are also worried that schools will increase fees if they are allowed to run classes offline at full capacity. “This is a very bad situation. Parents are already facing several problems due to the effects of the pandemic, and if the school fees are increased, their problems will be aggravated,” said a parent, Ashok Yadav.
After remaining closed for several months due to coronavirus-induced curbs, schools reopened in Madhya Pradesh on July 26, with class 12 students allowed 50% attendance. By September 21, all classes had resumed, with parental consent and a 50% capacity. Attendance was low initially, but has since increased.
