Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Oct 10: Karnataka State Child Rights Protection Commission has recommended to the government to take a decision to open schools, declare 2020-21 as exam-free year, and mandatorily provide high quality face masks to all the children.

"In the light of the COVID situation, classes should be handled in a good way, keeping in mind health requirements of the children. During the exam-free year, the state education research and training department should prepare the class-wise learning routine for different classes. Initially, higher or lower primary government schools with less than 30 children should be opened. For the initial two weeks, they should function half a day. Schools with higher student strength should be run on a shift system," it has recommended.

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The commissioner has expressed the apprehension that if no decision is taken to reopen the schools, the evils of child marriage, child labour system, and child trafficking may crop up. It said that the schools should arrange for preliminary meetings with parents and school development and monitoring committees. The other recommendations of the committee are to create awareness about the need to maintain physical and social distancing, create awareness among the parents, and to appoint personal counsellors to instil psychological confidence among the children. It also said that different standard operating procedures should be drawn for primary and high schools.

The commission has made suggestions to provide hot milk in the morning and nutritious midday meal, provision of free of cost anti-Covid materials, and prophylactic tablets to children. It said that health conditions of all the students should be checked on a regular basis and all over the state, sample tests should be conducted for teachers and children.