DEBATE CONTINUES ON WHETHER SCHOOL CLOSURE IS A NECESSITY OR AN ABSURDITY.

With the breakout of a new variant of Covid-19 viz., Omicron, it was ordered for schools and colleges in many regions across the country to remain shut. However, there is unrest among parents and students affected by this decision. While everyone definitely agrees that precaution is better than cure, there are many who also think that such decisions that are likely to be having an impact on the future of children should not be taken merely based on emotions but by backing of science, as well. 

While science has declared the effect of Omicron variant of the pandemic as with mild symptoms, immunologists also suggest that schools be open and running. Despite this governments across the country have deemed it fit to impose lockdown on schools and colleges while everything else is kept open. 

What more, India is placed second among countries in the world to have the longest period of school closure, after Uganda. The ongoing argument is why can’t our governments run schools with better SOPs in place than resorting to closures. While the answer is yet to be found, the lockdown persists.