| QATAR has achieved remarkable and unprecedented success in its fight against Covid-19, with the number of new infections and active cases falling rapidly, instilling confidence in us. But this is an ongoing and complicated war, and a mistake at the last minute can nullify the success we have achieved so far. So there is a need to proceed with extreme caution. And it’s in this context that we must take a close look at the decision to reopen schools in the country. Are we actually at a stage we can reopen the schools? Is it the best decision we can take in the current situation? Has the reopening of schools improved the education process after Covid-19? These are the questions we need to ask ourselves. Looking at the issue from all angles, I think it has been a premature decision to reopen the schools. Of course, the ministries of health and education, various departments, school managements and teachers have worked really hard to make the reopening process smooth and prevent the spread of coronavirus. And, their efforts have succeeded. But the challenges we are facing are huge and some of them beyond our control. So any mistake can have a disastrous effect. We are hearing about new infections at schools and though the number is small, this has caused concern among several parents because children are involved. I think it’s time to evaluate the success of in-person classes so far and take a decision. I think we have acted in haste by restarting classes. There are 10 reasons why we shouldn’t have reopened schools. First, social distancing is tough to enforce among students. It’s true that all schools are trying their best to protect students by strictly enforcing social distancing rules, but children are children. They are coming to school after a long gap of five months and the temptations to touch and mingle are too high. Children cannot be expected to behave like adults because they are too emotional and friendly. This means there will be occasions when the barriers we have erected will break. Second, the pressure on teachers will be too high, and so will be their stress levels. The reopening of schools has increased their burden. There are reports of some schools forcing teachers to come to school even if they suffer from chronic diseases. Also, if a teacher is infected, it will affect several students. Third, there is a serious risk of some students and parents hiding their infections for various reasons. Not all parents and students follow the rules equally, and a few breaking the rules will endanger the lives of other students. Fourth, masks are an inconvenience for all, especially for students, though we have to use them to protect ourselves and others. Though school authorities are strictly enforcing the mask rule, it will be difficult to enforce it with 100 per cent compliance. The temptation to remove the mask is very high in schools when children are talking and where they are spending long hours. There is also the risk of students touching their mouths and noses. Fifth, hygiene is important, and the bigger the area, the more difficult to keep hygiene. It will be difficult to clean the restrooms of schools on a continuous basis because there will be hundreds of students using them and these restrooms will be used on a continuous basis. Sixth, winter is coming, and also the flu season. All over the world, Covid-19 cases have gone up during winter and we, too, need to be prepared for a second wave. Keeping the schools open during winter poses an additional challenge, as it will stretch the capabilities of the government machinery to control the disease. Seven, we have a huge number of people in Qatar with chronic diseases like diabetes. Around 15.5 per cent of people in Qatar have diabetes, and add to this the number of people with high blood pressure, heart disease and other ailments, all of whom are at high risk of getting infected with Covid-19. These vulnerable segments will be exposed if their children go to school. The authorities have said children from households with chronic diseases don’t have to go to school if they produce a certificate, but still a few might still go to school as they might consider procuring a certificate an inconvenience. Eight, transportation poses its own challenge. Children will be spending a lot of time in buses and it would be difficult to enforce discipline in a bus. Also, there are chances of some schools violating the rule on the number of students allowed in a bus. Nine, children eat at school. Most of them will have their own food but there are still opportunities for sharing food with friends, which they normally do. This increases the risk. Ten, we must think about the psychological toll of keeping the schools open. Many parents, teachers and students are living in constant fear of getting infected and this causes stress. The precautions and preparations of going to schools are simply too big. In short, it’s time to re-evaluate the performance of schools and students after the resumption of in-person classes. It seems that the authorities find it acceptable if a small number is infected at schools, but what is an acceptable percentage of infection? We should actually be looking at zero infection and that seems impossible in the current situation. Several countries which have re-started schools have reconsidered their decision after the cases went up. Qatar, too, needs to reassess the situation. We must weigh the pros and cons of what we are doing, and if the gains are less than our expectations, then we should not hesitate to suspend in-person classes. |
Covid-19: Ten reasons why we shouldn’t go for in-person classes
We are hearing about new infections at schools, and though the number is small, this has caused concern among parents.
