Kathmandu, August 6

Mainly private schools in the country have been running online classes.

However, due to poor internet facility and frequent power cuts, online classes have not been effective in Nepal.

Preparations to resume student enrolment since August 17 have been marred by increasing cases of the coronavirus pandemic of late in the country. As part of the preparations, the government had urged the teachers and schools staffers to report to respective schools to resume the enrolment process so that the halted academic session could be managed with changes on the academic calendar.

The Ministry of Education is in dilemma on its next step regarding resumption schools.

The schools have been waiting for the right direction from the federal government as the enrolment process might cause more risk of the pandemic outbreak. According to the Education Ministry Spokesperson Deepak Sharma, the issue could not be decided by the ministry alone as any decision at the time of pandemic could have far reaching consequences.

Though the government had directed the school authorities to adopt adequate health safety measures before resuming the enrolment process, initiating enrolment process seems impractical as COVID-19 cases continue to surge.

Community School Management Committee Federation Chair Krishna Thapa said the schools should adopt measures such as quarantine and isolation centres, and make provision of psycho-social counseling to the students. They should also consult with guardians before resuming schools, according to Thapa.

Featured image: File

A version of this article appears in e-paper on August 7, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.