Karnataka schools, colleges reopen for classes 9-12 after five months

Schools and Pre-University (PU) colleges here and in other districts of Karnataka where COVID test positivity rate is less than two per cent reopened for students of classes 9-12 on Monday after a gap of five months. The Chief Minister Basavaraj S Bommai likened the reopening to freedom for students…

The Science of Masking Kids at School Remains Uncertain

At the end of May, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published a notable, yet mostly ignored, large-scale study of COVID transmission in American schools. A few major news outlets covered its release by briefly reiterating the study’s summary: that masking then-unvaccinated teachers and improving ventilation with more fresh…

For India’s young generation, the costs of school closure amid Covid-19 are mounting

India has seen a lot of suffering in the last year and a half. But are we setting ourselves up for another prolonged and needless suffering well after Covid-19 recedes? Is school closure a necessary step to control the spread of Covid-19? It is high time to ask and answer…

Maharashtra’s decision not to reopen schools slammed by experts

Public health experts express shock that Task Force has opposed the Education Department’s decision to restart schools despite not having a single qualified person on the panel. Public health experts from Maharashtra have called out the State COVID-19 Task Force’s stand of not reopening schools for being unscientific and taken…

What Freedoms, Which Schools for the Millions of Abandoned ‘Offline’ Children?

All state governments need a quick appraisal of the situation of schools in districts and blocks to ensure immediate responsibility for necessary action. After a year and a half of closure, some states have announced plans to reopen schools in the coming weeks – though not for those who have…