THOUGH belated, the government decision to reopen schools and colleges from September 12 is welcome after 18 months of closure to avoid the spread of Covid-19 infection among students in crowded campuses. We believe the closure could be shortened otherwise. The decision however to allow students to attend in-person classes in phases also makes sense to see how students will adjust to the new environment. The decision also said the opening of universities in October may be delayed for preparing dormitories and running drug tests among students, teachers and varsity employees.
The announcement has said examinees of this year’s four public examinations – SSC and HSC, Primary and Junior Secondary education completion – would attend classes every day in person after the reopening. Students of other classes would have in-person classes once or twice every week. The number of class days would be increased depending on the Covid-19 situation. The government wants to hold the SSC and its equivalent examinations in the second week of November and the HSC and its equivalent exams in the first week of December. Their priorities have been set accordingly.
We can’t however understand why reopening of public universities should be delayed and to be preceded by drug tests as per a recent instruction of the ministry of education. It may carry different meanings. In good sense it is not bad because during the long 18 months of idle days, a section of students, employees and even teachers may have become addicted to drugs and they need to be screened. In a critical sense it may however turn out to be a politically controversial move to delist known activist students and teachers of opposition fronts to keep them out of the campus. It may be scandalous.
The government knows that opposition student bodies are for an opportunity to mount agitation against corruption, political oppression, failure to carry out a timely mass vaccination programme and on top of it, commercialisation of Cobid-19 treatment facilities denying adequate low cost treatment to common people. There might be apprehensions that if students take to the street common masses may join them. Whatever the calculations are, the reopening of universities cannot wait as schools and colleges reopen on September 12.
