Most parents reluctant to send children to school due to COVID fears: Survey
8,227 parents were unwilling to send their children to school until cases in their district came down to zero or the children were vaccinated
Seventy-six per cent of parents in India are not willing to send their children to school till COVID-19 cases in their district drop to zero or the children are vaccinated, according to a survey.
Conducted between May 25 and June 15, the LocalCircles survey interviewed 19,000 people across 293 districts in 23 states.
8,227 parents were unwilling to send their children to school until cases in their district came down to zero or the children were vaccinated; 69 per cent of respondents wanted their children to be vaccinated by September. Of the rest, 21 per cent wanted to wait till December and 8 per cent said they will not get their children vaccinated this year.
“The majority of Indian parents are not comfortable sending their children to attend physical school unless they are vaccinated or the number of cases drops to zero in their district,” the survey company said in a press release. “To open schools while ensuring safety, children will have to be vaccinated along with staff members and parents. Moreover it will remain crucial to follow safety protocols strictly,” it said.
The survey said that, because of the severe nature of the second wave — and talks of a possible third wave — the number of parents willing to send children to schools had gone down.
States such as Bihar, Telangana and Maharashtra have announced reopening of schools from July. Delhi, Tamil Nadu and Haryana have decided to continue with online classes. In Karnataka, an expert committee headed by cardiac surgeon Devi Shetty has recommended that schools bet reopened.