Jharkhand, UNICEF launch SOPs on school preparedness

RANCHI: With the spread of COVID-19, over 3500 schools in Jharkhand were utilized as quarantine centres and health facilities to isolate people and to re-open the schools in future, it is important to orient all teachers on the safety measures to prevent COVID-19 in schools along with hygiene protocols and disinfecting the buildings. The Government of Jharkhand, in order to ensure that all teachers, educationists and other related stakeholders are aware of these hygiene and safety protocols, with support of UNICEF, developed e-modules of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for school reopening and launched it during a webinar on ‘’COVID-19 – Awareness and Preparedness in Schools.’’

SOPs consist of various modules which schools can introduce so as to keep away the infections. It mandates that all assembly prayers, gatherings and sports activities will be postponed, and sufficient distance will be maintained by keeping an appropriate gap between two students in a classroom. These SOPs will help schools in implementing, communicating, and monitoring the new way of practicing social and personal hygiene behaviour, and protocols for sanitizing school premises.

Rahul Sharma, IAS, Secretary, Education, Government of Jharkhand, during the launch said that preparation is the key to fight against this pandemic and deliver education safely so it is very important that all the necessary precautions against COVID-19 are taken when schools will reopen in Jharkhand. He added that adequate WASH facilities play a key role in providing a safe environment to students, teachers, parents, and other school staff.

Uma Shankar Singh, IAS, State Project Director, JEPC, Government of Jharkhand, said while continuing to provide education, what matters is the ability to broaden planning at a technical level to handle the pandemic when schools reopen. Therefore, all teachers have to compulsorily undergo COVID-19 training through e-learning module and be certified.

Speaking at the Dr Yasmin Ali Haque, Representative, UNICEF India, said that so far 22000 teachers of Jharkhand have already taken the online course. These SOPs will serve as a milestone in Jharkhand and UNICEF is committed to support its implementation, especially the monitoring and capacity building of teachers and supervisors.

The webinar was an opportunity to orient all teachers and officials of the education department on the need to take extra care on sanitation and hygiene issues and know the different perspectives of COVID-19 responses and safety measures.