Schools in Nepal yesterday demanded the government open up physical classes that were shut down for weeks as the number of COVID-19 cases began to decline.
Teachers say online education was limited to only a small part of the population living in the urban parts of the Himalayan country while a majority of students were being deprived of their chance to learn.
The number of coronavirus cases fueled by the omicron variant has peaked in the past weeks but was declining in the last few days.
“We are ready to open the schools, students are eager to get back, guardians are willing to send their children and the number of virus cases are on the decline so there is no reason for the government to continue the ban on schools,” said Tika Ram Puri, president of the Private and Boarding Schools Organization Nepal.
Puri said they want schools to reopen by next week.
“The standard of education is deteriorating and students are getting the wrong idea about education in the country because of the long and frequent shutdown of schools,” said Sangina Gomja, high school science teacher. “Students in the villages haven’t had much education in the past two years.”
