A quick guide for India to re-open schools.
In 2003, all kindergartens and schools in Hong Kong closed from the end of March. Shin’ichi Yamamoto arranged for the purchase of a large quantity of face masks in children’s sizes and had them sent to the Hong Kong kindergarten. This was just before the residents of Hong Kong responded to their seriousness of the epidemic by donning face masks. Soon after that, children’s face masks were sold out in Hong Kong. The parents of the Hong Kong Soka garden students very happy and grateful for Shin’ichi’s quick action.
The teachers at the Hong Kong Soka kindergarten talked about the school closure. They wracked their brains, finally deciding to prepare video and audio teaching materials to send to the students to study at home while the school was closed the teachers worked very hard to make study materials that would allow the students to do everything they normally did while in class . The materials contained many different things - storytelling by teachers, drawing and manual art lessons , songs , physical exercises and English and Chinese lessons, as well as video messages from each of the teachers waving and talking to the students.
When I read the above episode on page 74 in ‘The Future’ chapter, volume 23 of The New Human Revolution (a serialised multi-volume travelogue by Dr. Daisaku Ikeda, a prolific write, peace activist and founder of Soka Schools and Universities), this led to an immediate connection to the current situation we are facing in the education sector due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
I started researching how schools handled the lockdown and re-opening of schools in Hong Kong during and after the SARS epidemic. I came across a closely relevant research paper by Nirmala Rao. Interestingly both of us have the same first names. Her Paper titled SARS, PRESCHOOL ROUTINES, AND CHILDREN’S BEHAVIOUR: OBSERVATIONS FROM PRESCHOOLS IN HONG KONG caught my attention.
For your quick understanding, sharing few points from her observations specific to kindergarten schools:
1. SCHOOL RE-OPENING : According to the observers, many changes were apparent in the school environment when children returned to preschool. All schools had visual displays about hygiene and the preschool environment was much cleaner. Disinfection kits were located in most rooms. Further, in many schools, teachers wore aprons to hold alcohol spray and extra masks.
2. CHANGES IN ROUTINES : In keeping with government guidelines, children’s temperature was measured when they came to preschools and they washed their hands several times a day. Free play was curtailed and snack time was cancelled in some schools. In schools where it was continued, children had to face the wall while eating their snack. Physical Education (P.E.) and music lessons were cancelled and group size decreased in all schools.
3. CHANGE IN CURRICULUM/ PEDAGOGY : The Education and Manpower Bureau of the Hong Kong Government issued a curriculum for children ranging in age from 3-6 years. This included the following 7 independent lessons: Learning about SARS; Personal hygiene (1); Personal hygiene (2); Concern and respect for a SARS patient; SARS symptoms, wearing masks and washing hands; Learning to prevent SARS.
Teachers typically did not initiate activities such as circle- time or story-telling with the whole class. Instead more activities were conducted with small groups of children and there was more small group
4. CHANGES IN SOCIAL INTERACTION : Children and teachers could not see each other’s facial expressions because of masks and both children and teachers experienced discomfort when talking while wearing masks.
Sharing of toys was prohibited. Children were given individual toy packs in some schools and toys/equipment were sterilised every time they were used. It should be noted that physical contact among children was prohibited.
Field trips were cancelled and outdoor play was suspended or restricted to small groups.
All children were wearing masks, and children had individual “stationery” and “toy” kits as sharing was prohibited. In some preschools, teachers wore aprons with pockets which contained alcohol spray, tissues and gloves.
5. DOCUMENTARY ANALYSIS : Reports indicate that about 20 per cent of parents refused to pay preschool fees during the school closure.
The Permanent Secretary of Education and Manpower urged property owners to reduce rents for kindergartens and child care centres, and in an open letter to parents of preschool children, pleaded with them to pay the school fees.
6. PRINCIPALS’ VIEWS : Principals reported that there was more staff team-building and better. Principals reported that there was more staff team-building and better communication between the school and parents. They also felt that children developed an awareness of news and community events.
I recommend policy makers, school managements, parents and teachers to read Nirmala Rao’s document and many others available on the internet discussing how schools faced and handled SARS epidemic as these precedence’s will give better insights into safely re-opening of schools in India.
Comentarios