Friday 26 / April / 2024
Muscat: Students enrolled in Indian schools in Oman are likely to be split into shifts if their classrooms do not have enough space to accommodate all of them, till the precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 continue.
An official of the Board of Directors of Indian Schools in Oman explained that while all necessary preventive measures have been adopted to ensure the safety of students and staff, discussions are underway to determine how to ensure physical classes run smoothly.
Social distancing
As many classes in Indian schools routinely accommodate about 45 students, it is extremely difficult to introduce measures such as social distancing under such circumstances.
“We are currently in discussions with all the school management committees and principals to find solutions as to how we can accommodate all the students, while still maintaining proper COVID protocols,” said the board official.
Solution after admissions
With the deadline for new students seeking admissions to Indian schools having ended at the end of February, the process to allocate students to schools is currently underway.
Although many students and their families did leave Oman owing to the impact of the COVID pandemic, the board official said the actual number of students in each class could only be ascertained once the admission procedures ended, and all students who wished to continue at Indian schools returned physically to their classes.
“We estimate that in each class there is a decrease of at least 10 students, because many left during the pandemic,” he said.
“However, it is not possible to get a final tally of students right now, because admission procedures are underway. There are some students who did continue their online education with us, but will not be there for the new term, as they will be leaving our school system at the end of the current academic term.
“The new academic year starts in April and once we get a final tally before then, we can then devise plans for our students,” he added. “These plans will not affect all students. It won’t even affect the schools, rather, it will be for those classes that have students with a certain strength.”
He went on to say that the opening of the new school in Boushar would also take some of the pressure off the other Indian schools in Muscat.
Parents hail new plan
Plans being made by the board to separate students in high-density classrooms were welcomed by the parents.
“My son studies in a class with 45 other students – it is well-nigh impossible to maintain COVID precautions when there are so many students,” said a father whose child attends an Indian school in the capital, Muscat. “Hopefully, this will result in a longer-term solution to address the concern of so many students in a single class.”
A mother whose children go to Indian schools added, “I was going to suggest hybrid classes with a mix of online and in-person learning for students in high-density classes until a more permanent solution is found, but that is going to be very taxing on both students and teachers, who have gone through so much during this pandemic. Let us hope that an equitable solution is found that suits all parties.”
