Open letter to Ministry of Education, Government of India

Press Release

• 25-08-2021

Sixteen months and two devastating pandemic waves after India locked down, the wheels of economic and social activity are churning. Our institutions and establishments are open for service. There remains one conspicuous absence: Schools.

We, a group of leaders from non-governmental organisations in the sphere of education, are writing to you to draw your attention to the state of our children, and the sake of their future, with the continued closure of schools. Our education nonprofits, whose concerted efforts helped launch the groundswell dialogue for school reopenings, are collectively — unanimously — impelling governments to bring children back to schools. Most of our schools remain shuttered, and our children simply cannot continue learning from devices forever. Our country’s 250 million children have lost 16 months of learning, and dropout rates are surging in low-income regions. With 90% of countries already operating schools, the time for India to act is now. We are urging authorities to leverage our expertise and partnerships to formulate protocol for a safe unlocking. We are in dire search of a political imperative to act decisively, and with urgency, for our children.

Naturally, questions arise: What local factors does a school consider to reopen? How can we build confidence in communities? Who takes responsibility if cases rise? And how do we remedy these staggering learning losses? Vishal Talreja, from Dream a Dream, highlights the multiple layers in play: low-income schools in urban and rural regions, state-wise variance in cases, and health infrastructure, including vaccinations.

To breach this impasse, we need courageous, calculated risk-taking from decision makers. “The go-to response is: we don’t know the real number of cases, as people don’t come forward. And without real data, the government is simply not ready to take a calculated risk”, shared Ashish Shrivastava, who leads Shiksharth in Chhattisgarh.

Mathanmi Hungyo, who leads Teach For North East, captured the stakes. “The challenge of a pandemic is: if something happens, we lose a life. That weighs on the minds of decision makers”. However, Gayatri RP, CEO of 321 Foundation, implores: “Where are the children? Are they locked up at home, not stepping out at all? Why is it that doing everything else is fine, but going to school isn’t? The dropout rate in our low-cost private schools is already at 40-60%, and engagement has never crossed 35% in most schools. We surveyed hundreds of parents and teachers, who are all keen that children return to schools, albeit with safety precautions. Somebody needs to stick their neck out”.

Because this last year has been emotional, with real losses, we must act with empathy. Meghna Chawla, from Foster & Forge, said: “Uttar Pradesh lost 700 teachers during the second wave, transforming this into an emotionally-charged space. While teachers welcomed schools reopening in March 2021, the tragic summer has left everyone uncomfortable talking about this”. Meghna now feels compelled to act: “I increasingly believe that schools need to open. We must build that conviction and clarity among governments to help them achieve this.”

Children staying home poses challenges beyond lack of sustenance, mental health, poor digital infrastructure, and unconducive learning environments. Ashish shared, “In remote geographies like Chhattisgarh, if children aren’t in schools, there is a strong risk of their being brainwashed and forced into naxal militia. We had also created learning kits for three lakh children last year, and I still receive numerous calls each day with one common question: ‘When is school opening?’ A collective of 24 organisations in remote geographies across India shared similar sentiments: children want to come to schools, and parents are interested in schools reopening – but are concerned by the health infrastructure in rural regions”.

Fundamentally, this is a public health problem, requiring a public health solution. Inoculation en masse will determine the momentum and health of our education system. Vaccinating teachers, deemed frontline workers in most regions, remains integral. Some regions are prioritising this, as Saurabh Taneja, CEO of Akanksha Foundation, notes: “75% teachers across Maharashtra – which recognises teachers as frontline workers – are fully vaccinated”. Vishal sees room for partnerships with health-based NGOs, leveraging sectoral nous and networks. The fragile rural health infrastructure has also birthed anxiety. “Manipur is still in the throes of a second wave. We had quickly and fully recovered from the first wave, and District Officers decided to open schools last winter. After a heap of casualties since March 2021, with decadent health systems and looming elections, we were forced to pause again”, shared Mathanmi. This interrupted approach can descend into inertia, or apathy. Baidurya Sen, from Alokit, shared, “Some budget private schools temporarily shutting down, or finding alternative income sources. Huge financial losses, and a fear of this stop-start cycle, has caused despondence”. A recent Central Square Foundation study showed 50% of low-income school owners have uncollected fees accruing from the previous year, and less than 20% of teachers continued to receive salaries after March. We must emphasise speedier teacher vaccinations, and ensure teachers are not engaged in non-educational roles (e.g. polling, vaccine duties), so we can commence and sustain school operations.

There has been progress, albeit stuttered, such as in different rural and urban regions in Maharashtra, where several teachers are working closely with the village administration to open up schools for a few hours each day. As on 15th August 2021, an estimated 12,000+ schools have been opened across Maharashtra. “We are constantly working with local governments in districts like Pune, Nashik, and Akola to request them to open up more schools, especially in clusters with a virus caseload lower than three per cent”, said Madhukar Banuri, CEO of Leadership for Equity (LFE). Support from local stakeholders like a Sarpanch, Gram Panchayat, corporators, influencers, and parent bodies was critical. “Running a school is now a community issue. It has to be worked upon locally. One village, one block at a time”. Conducting mini-pilots in mohallas or taluks by consulting with parents and elected representatives can create proof-of-concepts to blaze a trail.

We are persistently showing up with communities on the ground, bringing small groups of children back to in-person learning. We now need a clear set of guidelines from governments for regions to adapt to their contexts, including protocol to navigate a rising caseload sans panic. Measures such as a staggered opening for a few hours two or three days a week, with different days for different ages, are ways to meet social distancing guidelines. The government’s vociferous backing of teachers also helps build trust within communities – a commodity now in short supply.

Ultimately, we need resilience. We cannot envision schools reopening without Covid-19 cases; but we must urgently realise our vision of students back in physical classrooms, learning and leading, adhering to all precautions practicable. Our leaders need to prioritise access to education to salvage our children’s future. As Vishal poignantly summed up: “Everyone is waiting for someone to take the first step.”

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