Assess safety norms: State seeks report from govt schools

Kolkata: The state School Education department has sought a report from the government and government-aided schools across the state about their existing infrastructure for getting an idea whether they are in a position to start classes after the Durga Puja.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had recently said that the government is mulling to open up schools after the Durga Puja. Schools have been closed since March 2020 as a preventive measure to curb the spread of Coronavirus. They had opened up for a short period for the students of class IX to XII during February this year but were shut again by April due to a surge in Covid cases.

"We have sought a report from the district inspectors of primary, secondary and higher secondary schools in the districts. Schools have been closed for over 17 months. So they have been asked to prepare a report on the infrastructure," an official in the School Education department said.

A number of schools have suffered damages due to Amphan that hit the state in May 2020 and in Yaas in June this year. The government wants to repair such damages on a war footing after taking stock of the situation.

A number of schools have been used as safe homes while many are hosting Duare Sarkar camps organised by the state government. Proper sanitisation and cleaning is of utmost importance and proper steps should be taken in this regard," the official said.

Saugata Basu, general secretary of the West Bengal Government School Teachers' Association believes that opening up of schools after proper sanitisation and cleaning will not be a difficult proposition but the real challenge will be sanitisation and cleaning on a regular basis after students start coming.

"It will be a big challenge as only a handful of schools have enough cleaning staff to take up cleanliness as per Covid protocols," he said. The schools affiliated to the CBSE and ICSE boards in the city have also started preparations for opening up. "We are ready to open up as soon as there is a directive from the government. All our teachers, staff and non-teaching staff have been vaccinated. Sanitisation is being carried out on a regular basis and all electronic equipment have been updated," Principal of a school at Ruby

Park said.

"We are getting our laboratories cleaned so that practical classes can be start immediately after the school reopens," a

spokesperson of an ICSE school said.