Kids face 6-hour SOPs challenge

Teachers urge shorter school timings to reduce health risks

LAHORE:

Teachers have suggested reduced school timings to save children from dengue mosquito bites early in the morning and also to make it easier for them to maintain social distance and keep wearing masks.

Schools across Punjab have resumed classes with full attendance after prolonged restrictions imposed to prevent the spread of coronavirus. However, the parents and teachers are still concerned about the risk of coronavirus as well as dengue fever whose cases are on the rise.

After the return of all the staff and students to classrooms, the administrators of the institutions appear to be struggling to ensure the safety of the students’ health.

A teacher said while speaking to The Express Tribune that dengue appeared currently to be a bigger threat than coronavirus. He said it was difficult for the school management to protect the children from the diseases without adequate measures in this regard from the government.

He said swarms of mosquitoes due to poor cleanliness in areas around the schools were already a cause of concern among the patents but calling the students to schools without anti-dengue spray had heightened their fear.

The government schools currently open from 7:30am to 1:30pm. The teachers and students have to wear face masks continuously for six hours in accordance with the stand and operating procedures (SOPs).

Read More: Govt mulls stricter Covid SOPs across province

Several children complained of discomfort due to continuously wearing the masks for the whole time while remaining confined in the classrooms, especially in the private schools having small buildings.

The schools in Punjab have opened with full attendance for the first time since March last year. During the intervening period, they were shut several times, followed by reopening for half the students on a day. When asked about the situation, a government schoolteacher, Sumera Aslam, said, “Both dengue fever and coronavirus are major issues, but more protection is currently needed against the mosquito-borne disease. We can avoid Covid-19 by wearing masks and adopting the SOPs but only the government and school authorities can take action to protect the children and teachers from dengue fever.”

She said anti-dengue spray had not been conducted in the schools like previous years and steps to prevent pooling of water also were not being pushed strictly.

“Even in big cities, heaps of garbage and standing water is present around the schools, while local governments and even the schools ministry appears least concerned in this regard. Due to the weather conditions, mosquito’s are proliferating and the parents complain whenever a child suffers suffers from fever after a mosquito bite in school,” she added.

“Teachers across the province are demanding shorter school timings. Even the teachers are finding it difficult to keep wearing masks for six hours. We think the schools should not be opened for more than four hours a day,” said Punjab Teachers Union leader Rana Liaquat Ali. “In view of the prevalence of dengue, it is also our suggestion that the government should not open schools early in the morning when there is more risk of mosquito bite,” he added.

The teachers’ leader said the community was committed to fully resuming school activities but the six-hour schedule was not suitable and the timing should be reduced for the best interest of the kids.

Aqsa Rubab, the mother of a schoolchild, said the parents had to buy expensive mosquito repellant lotions for sending their children to schools during g the dengue season.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 13^th, 2021.