Stakeholders suggest not to close educational institutions

Stakeholders and school teachers have suggested the government not to close schools under the pretext of staving off the transmission of COVID-19 infection.

Taking part in a consultative meeting held at the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology today, they advised running schools by adopting heightened precaution against the infection.

President of Municipalities Association of Nepal, Ashok Kumar Byanju Shrestha, opined that the federal government should let the local governments decide whether or not to close schools. He argued that educational institutions across the country should not be closed just because cases of the coronavirus infection have increased in some places.

Private and Boarding Schools Organisation of Nepal (PABSON) President, Tika Ram Puri, and National Private and Boarding Schools Organisation of Nepal (N-PABSON) General-Secretary, Subas Neupane, also suggested the same.

Kritan Baral, a staff at the private secretariat of the Education Ministry Secretary, quoted National Examinations Board (NEB) Chairperson Prof Dr Chandramani Poudel as saying that the decision regarding closing schools and educational institutions should be taken in a region-specific manner as the COVID-19 risk is not the same in all places.

Likewise, President of Community Schools Central Federation, Krishna Thapa, and Chairperson of the University Grants Commission, Bhim Prasad Subedi, too were in favour of allowing schools to remain open albeit by strictly adopting the health safety protocols. 

Meanwhile, coordinator at Geetanjali Higher Secondary School, Sameer KC, told Nepal News that the government should take decisions carefully since the closure of schools may hamper the studies of students. He also opined that the government should only close those schools where there is a risk of COVID-19. He argued, "Why should students in one particular area be deprived of classes when the number of infections has actually risen somewhere else in the country?" He shared that the online classes that were operated during the lockdown hardly proved to be fruitful for the pre-primary and primary level students. Nevertheless, if the government decides to close educational institutions, it should also close other institutions respectively, so that no one feels discriminated against. "If I can go to the market then why not to the school?" In addition, before making a decision to close schools, the government should also ensure that everyone is facilitated with a reliable internet connection.