GUWAHATI: Amid COVID-19 pandemic, the chief scientist of World Health Organisation (WHO) Soumya Swaminathan has said that states should reopen schools so that learning and overall health of the children are not affected. In the absence of a vaccine, states should test more and isolate COVID-19 patients.
In an interview with a national daily, Swaminathan stated that disruptions to instructional time in the classroom can have a severe impact on a child’s ability to learn, Swaminathan said that the states should prioritise how and when the schools can be reopened.
“The impact can be worse when the poor and marginalised children are out of school for long. They may not have facilities to access online education and many may not return to schools if they don’t restart,” Swaminathan was quoted as saying by the national daily.
