Schools reopening: Students to face pool car hurdle

kolkata: At a time when the state government is busy with the last minute arrangements to ensure smooth reopening of the schools from November 16, transportation of students by pool cars has become a major issue as most of the vehicles has been grounded since the lockdown.

The schools have remained closed since March 24, 2020. As per the order of Kalyanmoy Ganguly, president, West Bengal Board of Secondary Education the students of classes IX and XI will have to turn up at 9.30am and the schools will commence at 10am and continue till 3.30pm. The students of classes X and XII will have to turn up at 10.30am and classes will be held from 11 am to 4.30pm.

Sudip Dutta, secretary of Pool Car Owners' Welfare Association said majority of the vehicles which were used to ferry students had been grounded or being used for other purposes. There are around 3000 to 3500 pool cars in Kolkata, South and North 24-Parganas and Howrah.

Dutta said the timings of the schools are such that it would be difficult to run the pool cars.

"The students studying in classes IX and XI and X and XII, who avail the same pool cars, will have to come to school early and wait for an hour for those studying in higher classes. Now, as the school authorities will not allow the students to go inside the school before the stipulated hour, they cannot wait in the car as police will not allow the vehicles to be parked outside the schools in view of the pandemic," he explained.

The parents are following the wait and watch principle. The state Education minister Bratya Basu had said on Thursday that the state government would not pressurise the parents to send their students to schools. The schools would be reopened with strict observance of the Covid protocols.