Prioritising school reopening on the road to recovery

Most schools in India have been closed since the national lockdown started in March 2020. What are the costs of keeping schools closed? How do these costs compare against the risks of school reopening?

We delve into these questions, as concerned parents with school-age children, as experienced teachers, and also as practising scientists who have followed data and publications on this topic over the last 15 months.Interestingly, various regions around the world which have been worse hit by the novel coronavirus pandemic than India, have kept their schools, especially primary schools, mostly open. This includes various European countries such as Portugal, France, the Netherlands, etc.

The State of Florida (United States) opened schools for in-person classes in late September 2020, and they stayed open through their second wave. On the other hand in India, schools have mostly been shut even as other businesses have opened.Impact of school closureThe costs of school closure are immense.

People make considerable investments in their childrens’ education, as a way toward a better future and a better living standard. Even prior to the pandemic, there was a huge attainment gap across students, especially in higher grades. The bottom half of children passing Class 10 are about two years behind in terms of skills.

Prolonged school closure has already widened this gap. What will this do to their future? Does it not push the next generation deeper into poverty?

Ironically, the poorest families living in dense urban slums, who bore the brunt of the first wave, and are now largely immune from the virus itself (as shown by serosurveys), are the ones suffering the most from school closures.A survey across 10 States in India in November 2020 estimated that nearly two-thirds of children in rural India may drop out of school, a staggering statistic which is likely to have worsened with continuing closure. Haryana has reported a 42% drop in student enrolment in private schools.

Prolonged school shutdown has severely set back India’s fight against ills such as child labour and child marriage . Due to the shutdown of schools, mid-day meal schemes have been disrupted; even as early as June 2020, it was estimated that about 800,000 additional children would face underweight and wasting. Health, well-being concerns Even in well-off urban India and in developed nations, extended school closure is having a severe impact on children’s mental health.

In Las Vegas, U.S., a surge of student suicides forced schools to reopen in January 2021.

The United Kingdom reported a 40% rise in the number of children taking antidepressants. Surely, life is more important than education. But as examples above show, schools are not merely about education.

Given the costs of prolonged school shutdown, we must probe deeper into the risks of opening schools in the context of COVID-19.Assessing the risk factor First, we must realise, and be grateful that the risk of COVID-19 for children is much lower than for adults, and is also much lower than other (already small) risks children face in daily life anyway. Based on a study of 137 million school-age children in the U.

S. and Europe, Prof. Raj S.

Bhopal (University of Edinburgh, U.K.) has observed that COVID-19 in this age group is less than half as risky as seasonal influenza, and over 20 times less risky than death by “unintentional injury”.

A study among the nearly two million children in Sweden (where schools have been open throughout), found that there was not a single child death due to COVID-19. As per Mumbai’s dashboard data, the COVID-19 IFR (Infection Fatality Rate) for under-19 is minuscule: about 0.003% .

In comparison, the infant mortality rate in India is about 3% (1,000 times greater) and the infant mortality rate in Japan (one of the lowest) is 0.18% (60 times greater). In other words, school-age children are at a negligibly lower risk from COVID-19 when compared to other threats which we consider normal.

There has been a concern that a possible third wave involving newer variants could affect children. But a careful look at the data tells that the age-profiles of those affected in the second and first waves are similar. There is no scientific basis for this fear.

Further, Public Health England’s June 2021 report shows that the newer variant Delta is much less dangerous (case fatality rate 0.1%) than the original (case fatality rate 1.9%), which is the expected evolutionary path of a virus.

Teachers as ‘essential’ staff The next question is: are teachers and parents at higher risk of catching COVID-19 if schools reopen? Over the last year there have been several careful scientific studies across various regions in Europe/U.S.

, measuring the role of in-person classes in COVID-19 spread. The overwhelming conclusion is that the risk of COVID-19 spread in schools is minimal compared to other locations. To further reduce the concern among teachers, the Government must treat them on a par with ess