As schools and educational institutions prepare to resume activities across the country, the scare of the pandemic worsens with each passing day. While governments have changed the narrative around the severity of the disease seeking public cooperation, school owners and operators must be mindful to strengthen their defense and develop strategies to mitigate, tackle and overcome the ill effects of the corona virus.
Schools
need to understand that their eagerness to reopen should not result in
nearsightedness. The rush to resume activities can lead to managerial oversight
leading to drastic ramifications such as school closures and containment.
Keeping the safety of all teachers, students and staff in mind, the schools
must work towards creation of a detailed recommencement plan in line not only
with the national regulations but also by understanding international best
practices and guidelines issued by bodies such as UNESCO, WHO, IIEP etc.
Amidst the many attributes of schooling that
must be evaluated by the management, here are 5 key areas that require the
highest attention:
1.) Identify High Contact Zones
It is imperative for schools to seek out and
identify areas in the school where students and staff come in close contact
with each other. The best way of doing so is reviewing a student’s typical day
in the school and identify likely common areas and interaction points where the
student is widely exposed. Beginning from the classroom, cafeteria, auditoriums
right down to water coolers and play grounds will need to be individually
assessed in order to adhere to social distancing norms. In accordance with the
respective state government regulations, schools must devise a student
attendance strategy and supplement the same with cordoning off areas that
require physical engagement and supervising the same to ensure that social
distancing is strictly followed.
2.) Develop Sanitation Strategies
All school inventories must be properly
sanitized at the end of each school day in order to make the school a hazard
free environment. Regular cleaning and decontamination of guard rails, door
handles, classroom benches, lab equipment etc. must be undertaken. School
cleaning staffs must be provided with adequate PPE gear and should be allocated
rotational shifts to continually clean lavatories, staff rooms, auditoriums
etc. If the school provides transport, then all vehicles must properly be
inspected and duly sanitized prior to student pickups as well as after drop
offs.
3.) Revisit Academic Calendars
As schools choose to reopen, and activities
resume, time is of the essence. Schools need to act fast and assertively to
deal with the ill effects of the pandemic as well as address the need for
completion of course content. All schools should actively look into their
academic calendar and re-evaluate their options to achieve maximum course
completion before the next academic session. Of course, the guidance of all
affiliated boards is critical to this aspect, however schools should be well
prepared to explore concepts such as accelerated learning and new age teaching
in greater detail. Academic calendars must be condensed and optimized to
achieve the maximum within the available time. Schools need to chalk off all
non academic events and repurpose their time towards core education. This is
the time when schools would need to make up for lost time and get back on their
path to normalcy.
The school education industry at large has been
one of the worst hit industries across the world. In India, schools scrambled
to shift curriculum online in the wake of the pandemic. COVID-19 has exposed
the vulnerabilities of the education system and it is important, now more than
ever for schools to become more accepting of the use of technology within their
pedagogies. In emergency situations like the corona outbreak, technology is
perhaps an enabler and not a deterrent to education as schools still believe.
Schools must invest in teacher education and infrastructural improvements in
order to introduce technology and modern day teaching aids within the classroom
and enable unperturbed education.
5.) Rapidly Evolve
Schools, like all other industries have now
ventured into uncharted territory. While medical science makes quantum leaps
everyday in seeking a cure to the pandemic, schools must have their eyes and
ears open to any new information that comes to light. They must be able to
adapt, improvise and overcome any situation down the line without an impact on
student education. They must strategize in a manner that allows them the
flexibility to swiftly factor in any new changes that emerge in the coming
months. They must review at regular intervals and further refine elements that
are not working for them. School management must enable all stakeholders
including teachers, students and parents to be ready to transition with the
school as it battles the consequences of the pandemic in its own unique way.
Schools must also consult, communicate and coordinate with the right
departments actively in order to be ahead of the curve if the situation
worsens.
As schools slowly grapple with the idea of running an institution amidst a global pandemic, here are a few safeguards that they can consider as part of their recommencement strategy:
- Installation of thermal scanners at school entrance to check body temperatures
- Setting up sanitizing stations around the school with contact less alcohol based sanitizer distribution
- Providing instant read thermometers to school infirmary and medical staff
- Suspend all activities requiring presence of more than 20 students such as morning assembly, sports etc.
- Keeping a mandatory safety kit in each classroom
- Ensuring classroom seating is such that 1.5m distance is maintained between 2 consecutive students
- Ensure sufficient signage and notices across the schools reminding everyone of the protocols at play
- Ensure individuals without masks are not permitted on the school premises
Using these as starting points, schools can build onwards to a robust and flexible strategy to efficiently reopen and resume activities. Schools can also seek out the right partnerships from leading organizations that are closely monitoring the impact of COVID-19 on the sector and can shoulder the responsibility alongside the management to help them expedite their progress to normalcy.