Schools in Kolkata mull exam relief for students with Covid

Last week, South Point school postponed all evaluations and assessments for the time being

Schools have been receiving emails from parents saying children are testing positive for Covid or have symptoms of the infection.: Representational picture

JHINUK MAZUMDAR | TT  |  06.07.22 :  Several schools that have tests going on now are considering giving relaxations to students who have Covid or symptoms of the infection to discourage parents from sending their children to school for the exams.

Parents tend to give their children medicines and send them to school so they can write a test, the heads of several schools said.

Many schools over the past few days are sending students back home because they are running a temperature.

Last week, South Point school postponed all evaluations and assessments for the time being.

Indus Valley World School has assured parents that children who are unwell would be allowed to write retests.

The Heritage School and Julien Day School, Kalyani, have said they will make considerations for those who are “genuinely sick”.

The tests in many schools are of 20 marks, but the scores are added to the term-end marks that are reflected in a student’s report card.

“For students of Class VI and above, the school will make arrangements for retests, provided the parents provide a medical certificate,” said Amita Prasad, director of Indus Valley World School.

“This would help contain the spread of infection because parents usually are desperate to send their children to school when there is a test. We are reassuring parents that their children will not lose out,” said Prasad.

Schools have been receiving emails from parents saying children are testing positive for Covid or have symptoms of the infection.

“We will ensure that there are no assessments and evaluations done for the time being in school...,” said a notice from South Point last week.

On Tuesday, South Point sent out notices saying that they had decided to hold classes on alternate days for senior classes.

As a precautionary measure, the school said there will be no classes for students of VIII and IX on July 7, 11, 13 and 15 and no classes for VI and VII on July 6, 8, 12, 14.

For those testing positive for Covid, doctors are advising seven days’ isolation.

At Julien Day School, Kalyani, four or five students are staying away for tests regularly.

“We will see to it that students do not suffer academically. But we are yet to decide on the methodology,” said principal Terence John.

“This is to discourage parents from sending children to school because even if they do, we have a limited infirmary and cannot provide space for children to write a test in isolation,” he said.

But schools are hoping that parents or children would not misuse the relaxation given to them because of the prevailing circumstances and the rate of Covid infection.

“We have to give students who are sick a fair chance,” said Seema Sapru, principal of The Heritage School.