Safety steps for schools, colleges

Educational institutions are preparing to reopen with a whole new set of rules and regulations

Schools and colleges in Bengaluru are putting in place new measures to reopen.

The central government has given a go-ahead for classes 9 to 12 to reopen from September 21. It has also said it will encourage online and distance learning.

The government’s standard operating procedures (see box) include intensified cleaning of common areas and continued closure of canteens.

Medical room

St Joseph’s PU College, FM Cariappa Road, does not plan to reopen on September 21, but is preparing for an eventual reopening.

Fr SJ Melvin Lobo, principal, says, “Covid-19 cases in the city are increasing day by day, and we do not want to take a risk.”

All classes are held online now. Students will visit the campus only with the permission of the college authorities and with prior consent of the parent in writing, he says.

“A group of staff and volunteers will be monitoring social distancing on the campus. Announcements will be made at regular intervals to remind students about safety procedures,” he says.

Parents can email their questions and grievances or call the reception for any clarification, he says, promising a quick response.

“Seating arrangements will be re-organised to ensure a minimum of six-feet distance,” he says.

Staff and students will be asked to carry their own food and drinking water, and the college is setting up a medical room and hiring trained staff for it.

Attendance norms

B R Lakshmikanth, principal and director, Dayananda Sagar Academy of Technology and Management, Kanakapura Road, says college students are mature and can handle the realities of the pandemic better than school students.

“We have conducted the final exams and now are conducting backlog exams, and the students are being careful and responsible. Of course, the numbers are smaller than usual,” he says.

Online classes are not as effective and teaching in person is important, he says.

“Our classrooms are designed to accommodate 60 students. If we only accommodate 30 in one, we will have to conduct additional classes, which would be an additional burden for teachers,” he says. Laboratories will be conducted in a staggered manner to allow social distancing. If attendance is voluntary, attendance regulations need to be relaxed, he suggests.

Exam time

The final year students at Jain College (Vasavi campus, Basavanagudi) are getting ready for their University Grants Commission National Eligibility Test (UGC NET).

Principal Dr Naveen Kumar C M says the college is not reopening on October 1.

He says, “Students are expected to reach the campus 45 minutes before the examination so that checks can be done. We are assigning more classrooms and there will be only 20 students in each class with an invigilator.”

As for students who take public transport, the college is requesting parents to either take the time out to pick up and drop them.

Staggered hours

Baldwin Methodist College, Hosur Road, will reopen with staggered classes. Joshua Samuel, principal, says, “Courses like BCom, which have more students, will be held in the morning and courses like BBM and BCA will be held in the second half of the day.”

Elizabeth Jasmine, principal, Indian Institute of Psychology and Research, Hosur Road, says a Bengaluru Central University notice has asked colleges to reopen on October 1, but they are awaiting further instructions.

“We have parents who are apprehensive about sending their children back. We have students from across the country and asking them to travel all the way is risky. Parents are asking if we can assure the safety of all children,” she says. If the college has a choice between offline and online classes, it would choose the latter.

Medical training

Canadian International School, Yelahanka, is going to wait till mid-October to decide on reopening. It is banking on online classes till then. Shweta Sastri, managing director, says, “Our staff has undergone an accredited contact tracing course from Johns Hopkins University. Every morning, before the child leaves home for school, parents will have to fill in a health declaration form,” she says.

Tech to the rescue

Greenwood High School in Varthur Sarjapur Road, is banking on technology to reopen.

Aloysius D’Mello, principal, says, “Our buses will be equipped with auto temperature scanners. The temperature is recorded when a student swipes the ID card. An alarm system in the bus beeps if the temperature is beyond the acceptable limit.” The buses will only have 50 per cent occupancy. The school is also setting up an isolation room for anyone showing symptoms. “In common areas, air ionizers will help purify the air,” he says.

What SOP list says

Keep sanitiser, check temperature at entrance.

Allow only asymptomatic persons inside.

Display posters to promote safety awareness.

Avoid crowding at parking and inside elevators.

Ensure six-foot distance inside classrooms.

Stagger teaching if necessary.

Ensure students wear masks all the time.

Don’t allow sharing of stationery, water bottles.

Keep school and college cafeteria closed.

Deep-clean all lavatories.