Almost a year into the pandemic, coronavirus is still on the loose and hitting the headlines. After the outbreak of the virus, the schools around the country were closed. After a long hiatus, the government has finally decided to open the schools from March 30, taking the far-reaching blowbacks of such long closure into account. School authorities have been asked to take all the necessary precautions in this regard. In accordance with the instructions of the government, many schools, including DPS STS School Dhaka(Delhi Public), are taking all the necessary precautions so that the students, the staff and the parents remain safe.
Different NGOs having the requisite expertise and experience in this field and other experts have outlined many steps that must be ensured before opening the schools’ doors for the students.
The first step in any educational institute should be to screen out any potential corona-infected student. Anyone (students, teachers, staff, and visitors) entering school must go through temperature screening by a non-contact infrared thermometer. If a person’s body temperature is higher than 37.4°C or 99.32°F, then he/she should be barred from entering the school premises.
Next, the two most essential things for ensuring safety for the students are – using face masks and hand washing. Wearing a face mask during the school time should be made compulsory for all students, teachers, staff, guests, and visitors, whereas everyone must carry at least two face masks with them in case of any contamination or damage. And as far as hand washing is concerned, there should be sufficient hand-washing facilities inside the washrooms and hand sanitiser/hand rub in the common places. All the students, teachers, and staff can be allowed to carry a personal alcohol-based hand sanitiser/hand rub for their own purposes. School authorities should also make arrangements to frequently disinfect common areas such as chairs, tables, door handles, lifts, and stair handlebars and carry out regular cleaning, mopping, and deep cleaning activities.
Well, when everyone is inside the school, it is imperative that social distance be maintained to contain the spread of the virus. Maintaining a distance of 2 meters between the students, tables, and chairs should be designated individually for each student. Collaborative spaces can be kept out of bounds until government’s notice; and entry gates, common spaces should be marked with specific step signs in order to avoid the crowd. Steps such as one-way movement along the corridors and walking areas, separating stairs for going up and coming down, restricting students from sharing their belongings and classroom supplies, and publishing staggered arrival and dispersal schedules to discourage gathering will also play significant role in terms of containing the infection.Support staff who will be coming in direct contact with the students must be provided with Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) as an extra layer of protection.
In addition to all these steps, there should be a provision for isolation or medical room for anyone feeling a bit under the weather.
As per the directives issued by the government, DPS STS School Dhaka is gearing up for reopening by following the afore-mentions steps mapped out by experts. Against all speculations, DPS has continued its education through virtual learning platformsduring the pandemic overcoming many obstacles. They organised an online stress management programme, regular online training, and webinars for both the students and the parents to keep the learners on track. Even in the days to come, the school is planning to organise a myriad number of training programmes, workshops, webinars for the students, staff, and parents so that no one feels on edge before embarking on a new journey.