The Andhra Pradesh government has decided to reopen schools in the state from September 5, and government schools are gearing up to start classes soon. Government schools have received the ‘Jagananna Vidya Kanuka’ school starter kits to be distributed to students, with a school bag, uniform sets, notebooks and textbooks. The academic calendar has also been revised to start from September 5 and end by April 2021, taking into account the lost working days due to the pandemic.
In this backdrop, private school managements in the state have written to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy with an appeal to reconsider the decision to reopen schools on September 5, in view of the COVID-19 situation.
In a letter to the CM, representatives of the APPUSMA (Andhra Pradesh Private Un-Aided Schools’ Managements’ Association) wrote that it is “crystal clear that the coronavirus devastation particularly during the last couple of months is quite unabating,” and suggested that the decision be postponed “till a successful medical intervention is invented and tested beyond doubt.”
Noting that it is unfortunate that Andhra Pradesh is among the worst affected states in the country, the association wrote, “The reasons behind this sudden upsurge is beyond our imagination though government is saying that it is taking all measures to stop coronavirus spread on a war footing. In these circumstances if government opens schools in September as per its decision, it is even dreadful to think the serious repercussions likely to be followed (sic).”
The private school managements requested the CM to allow the schools to proceed with online classes for academic as well as extracurricular activities, until schools can be reopened safely.