No end to struggle; parents now take up pre-primary reopening

A student attends class at St Mary’s School, Mazgaon. Schools have opened gates to students of Std I and above but there has been no announcement on reopening pre-primary schools yet. Pic/Bipin Kokate

Even as schools have now reopened for Std I and above, parents' fight to reopen pre-primary schools is far from resolved. The Mumbai Parents Association, which was formed to push parents' demand for school reopening, has now intensified their demand and said they want a Government Resolution allowing the reopening of pre-primary schools for in-person classes soon.

As part of their demonstration, a number of parents have posted videos where they and their toddlers urged the government to reopen schools. Many are voicing concerns saying that it is the preschool students who are in most need of schools.

"Actually, there is confusion about whether pre-school is considered under mainstream education. While earlier it was not a part of it, with the new education policy, even pre-schools are considered under mainstream education. But there is a need for a GR specifically allowing pre-schools because until now all government orders have specified the classes," said Gayatri Sabharwal, a parent.

Monesh Shah, another parent, said, "We understand there was a priority to reopen higher classes with the board exam approaching. But now that all classes have started, why not pre-primary? Educationists, in fact, have shared how these children are most in need of school as they are in their formative years. They require children from similar age groups to grow."

"Now my 6-year-old child is going to school but the 4-year-old is still at home, feeling left out. There are many similar households. The toddlers are anyway close to their siblings who are going to school now, so what's the point of keeping them from school," asked Simran Sanghvi, a parent. In a bid to reach all authorities concerned, the association has started a social media movement under the handle @openmumbaischools.

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Day in Dec in-person classes started for Stds I-VII