While most of the school students are not quite keen to join regular classes in schools from November 2, the students of coaching centres are relatively positive about going back to coaching classes. However it is also pertinent to mention that most of the students studying in the coaching institutes are above 18 years of age and the operators of these institutes will not see them as a liability.
According to most of the students who live in the urban areas of the cities, they will join the classes but students living in rural areas or in other districts have shown some reluctance.
“I have filled some applications for government jobs so I will be going for coaching classes. It is also because I have already deposited the fees for the whole year and the institute is near my house. If I had not deposited the fees in advance I would have avoided the physical classes too,” said 20 year old Monika Jain. Param Rana who is currently living in Uttarkashi stated that he was preparing for bank jobs in Dehradun before the lockdown but he would not return this year.
Some also added that they will observe the coaching classes for a few days and if they do not feel comfortable, they will not continue the classes risking Covid-19 contagion.
Meanwhile, the operators of coaching centres stated that they will resume classes irrespective of the number of students but they are optimistic that the students will join the classes in the next few weeks. According to one of the representatives of Uttarakhand Coaching and Library Association (UCLA), Khajan Rana, most of the students from mountainous regions have returned to Dehradun and will probably join the classes too. He said that all the precautions will be taken in the centres to ensure safety by adopting the practice of regular sanitisation and maintaining physical distancing among other measures. On the question of whether the coaching institutes will provide the option to continue online classes for those students who do not wish to join the physical classes, Rana said that there are negligible numbers of students who actually prefer online classes over physical classes.
Therefore, as per Rana, students will join the classes in centres. According to the coaching centres operators, it might take some time for all the students to get back to classes but they will return in a few months and will adjust to the new atmosphere of classes as most of them are adults and had enough time to understand the situation.
Administration allows coaching centres resumption from November 10
The coaching centres of Dehradun can resume operation from November 10 while following all the guidelines issued by Dehradun district administration on Sunday. As per the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) released by the administration, the operators of all the coaching centres will have to take all the possible Covid-19 measures in the classes or else, strict actions will be taken against them under various relevant sections of Epidemic Act and Disaster Act 2005. Moreover, the administration has allowed all types of coaching classes in the district but the operators of the coaching centres still need to get the consent letter signed from the parents of the students of board classes.
Monday, 02 November 2020 | PNS | Dehradun
