Reopening of schools in a phased manner after vaccination of children, says Kerala Education Minister

Reopening of schools in the State will be considered in a phased manner once vaccination of children is completed, and subject to approval from the Union Government and agencies including Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), General Education Minister V. Sivankutty told the Assembly on Monday.

He said the shortage of digital equipment, especially in tribal areas, will be addressed by the time the shift from digital classes to online classes, where interaction between teachers and students are possible, is made.

The shortage of counsellors, to take care of mental health issues faced by students due to online education, will be addressed. Student police cadets as well as the Women and Child Development Department are also taking measures to help students cope with such issues, he said.

As per a study conducted by the SCERT among high school students, 36% of students have experienced headache due to long exposure to electronic screens, 28% have experienced eye strain, 36% have experienced neck pain and 15% have experienced sight-related issues. However, Mr. Sivankutty said that most of these cases are likely temporary conditions.

Currently, the department is running various programmes like ‘Our Responsibility to Students’ to ensure the mental health of school students. Digital classes with experts have also been included for this purpose. A tele-counselling programme titled ‘Athijeevanam’ is being organised. Teachers have been asked to keep in constant touch with students and parents to provide academic as well as mental support. Classes on physical fitness and mental health are being broadcast through the Victers education channel.

Awareness classes will be held for parents next month regarding the issues that students might face while attending classes online. The inclusion of sign language in digital classes for the benefit of differently abled students will be considered, said Mr. Sivankutty.