School vehicles skip check-ups in Kozhikode
The Hindu
Only 25 vehicles have so far secured the mandatory fitness certificate ahead of school reopening
Despite frequent reminders from the authorities, only 25 educational institution vehicles have so far secured the mandatory fitness certificate from the Kozhikode Regional Transport Office (RTO) to conduct services in compliance with the COVID-19 protocol after school reopening.
On Saturday, no vehicle was brought to the Chevayur testing ground for checking, though officials were present at the spot with all arrangements in place.
According to Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) officials, there were over 300 educational institution vehicles, apart from contract carriages, which were in service in Kozhikode two years ago. However, the pandemic crisis affected the continuation of the services, they said.
Several principals of government and private schools in Delhi on Tuesday said the Directorate of Education (DoE) circular from a day earlier, directing schools to conduct classes in ‘hybrid’ mode, had caused confusion regarding day-to-day operations as they did not know how many students would return to school from Wednesday and how would teachers instruct in two modes — online and in person — at once. The DoE circular on Monday had also stated that the option to “exercise online mode of education, wherever available, shall vest with the students and their guardians”. Several schoolteachers also expressed confusion regarding the DoE order. A government schoolteacher said he was unsure of how to cope with the resumption of physical classes, given that the order directing government offices to ensure that 50% of the employees work from home is still in place. On Monday, the Commission for Air Quality Management in the National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas (CAQM) had, on the orders of the Supreme Court, directed schools in Delhi-NCR to shift classes to the hybrid mode, following which the DoE had issued the circular. The court had urged the Centre’s pollution watchdog to consider restarting physical classes due to many students missing out on the mid-day meals and lacking the necessary means to attend classes online. The CAQM had, on November 20, asked schools in Delhi-NCR to shift to the online mode of teaching.