Jatinder Yakhmi
2 min readJul 17, 2020

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The topic of teaching at classroom in schools, particularly for the primary and pre-primary children is, currently, under intense discussion. Re-opening, or NOT, has arguments, and very convincing ones on both the sides. The debate is among parents, politicians, school-managements, journalists and surprisingly a whole lot of self-appointed intellectuals. But the discourse largely ignores the viewpoints/opinions of the three main stake-holders: (A) the teachers, who have to carry out the teaching under the unpreceedented risk-laden socially-distanced teaching; (B) the large majority of parents, hapless, who await the decision for/against for classroom teaching, its urgent need but also the dangers involved in sending their loving kids to schools where the coronavirus may be lurking because the virus is not going away, and the infection it brings comes to light weeks later, mostly, when the battle against COVID-19 is lost, however carefully you may have planned to steer clear of it; and (C) THE KIDS who need, more than the education, the company of children of their age-groups. We elders want to teach them the basics of arithmatic, the social sciences, the languages, but the 4 years olds and even the 10 years olds badly wish to go back to playing together (masks or not), giggle together and yell together, run about and chase and slip and fall - not in the company of their parents, elders and grandparents, but with their classmates. I watch when a 6 years old girl wears a mask, to go out to play for that half-hour slot restricted by parents, and finds to her shock that no other girls have come. Her play is postponed to next day. Who is responsible for her dismay? Will the society or the 20 trillion economy return her happy moments which are getting erased day after day? Virus or no virus, teaching or no teaching, linking her schoolgoing with going of her parents to their jobs; OR availabiliuty/affordabilty or NOT of a childcare centre... HELL with all that! I wish the 6-year girl could say that loud and clear.

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Jatinder Yakhmi
Jatinder Yakhmi

Written by Jatinder Yakhmi

A scientist with an experience of 45 years, and also an educationist. A Fellow of National Academy of Sciences of India

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