Opening Of Classes For 1 to 5: Let’s Not Make The Kids The Guinea-pigs- Experts
By D N Singh
The decision by the state government to throw open the classes from the students of class one to five has sprung up a raging debate in the state.
Is it a correct decision or not? Although a debate is on but, our experience during the Covid peak has taught us that what appear to be relatively modest as perturbations can also lead to a major and unanticipated explosion.
Doctors in majority have come forward to oppose the decision apprehending that, the children should not have been pushed to the threshold of an uncertainty of this kind at this stage. More so at a time when surfacing of Covid and Omicron positive cases are on an upward trajectory.
Noted medicine expert, Dr. A Suryanarayan Mishra has come out to strongly oppose the step, making a comparison between life and virtual mode of education.
“ Children, may be less susceptible to Covid infection or Omicron but, they can never be expected to adhere to the guidelines nor can the teachers ensure such adherence by the students” said Dr Mishra.
“ So it is not prudent at this stage to send the children to schools” Dr Mishra added.
To a fear that the children who go to school can be spreaders Prof Tribhuban Mohapatra is of the view that, “yes the children can carry the infections with them and transmit to the elders at home and the senior citizens or the ones with co-morbidity can be infected easily”.
Education in online mode or offline is not like a choice between the deep sea and the devil but is something where little more restraint can be a more judicious option at this stage.
Several reports about school attending children have been infected by the Covid virus keep pouring in every day from Delhi, Mumbai and several other states including Odisha.
The vaccine for the children is still awaited and it may take a couple of months more before it gets the approval by the WHO.
Some in the field of medicine have contradicting views. Some experts are quoted saying that, Omicron has fast infection capability while some say that, it is not as dangerous as made to be. Think about the predicament of a common citizen or parent!
At the same time views of some experts suggest that, Omicron variant is resistant to the vaccines those are being jabbed, so there has to be some other vaccine or booster for it.
May be some formulaic notions are dispensable or indispensable but the virus we are dealing with is, it was unclear a year back- and remains so still.
When the world is in an island of no-knowhow, let’s not make the children the objects for experiment.
