A PIL was filed in Gujarat high court a week after the state government ordered the initiation of in-person education and 100 percent attendance in schools.
Abhilash Muraleedharan, a businessman from Gandhinagar, filed the PIL on Friday, taking issue with the state government’s February 18 circular, which made it mandatory for all students to attend school beginning February 21.
He claimed that the Covid-19 vaccine for children under the age of 15 was unavailable, and that the decision to require 100 percent attendance in classrooms put them at risk.
The petition claims that the circular ordering the reopening of schools and requiring 100 percent attendance is in violation of current SOPs requiring social distancing.
It claims that the state government made a hasty decision because the Centre’s guidelines call for a smooth transition from home-based to formal schooling.
The PIL also claims that final exams for schools affiliated with the Central Board of Secondary Education and the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education are set to begin in a few days. Those students, who are to take state board’s exams, are likely to get at least a month for adaptation. In such circumstances, the hybrid system of education should be allowed to be continued.
The petition also claims that the circular violates the state home department’s SOP, which states that all educational, cultural, educational, religious, and other activities are limited to 50 percent occupancy in closed spaces.
In contrast to the Covid protocol, the circular requires 100 percent attendance in schools and, as such, should be repealed in the best interests of the children.
This PIL will most likely be heard by the court next week.