Schools to reopen for classes 6 to 12 from Monday in Tamil Nadu

Schools to reopen for classes 6 to 12 from Monday in Tamil Nadu

Schools across Tamil Nadu are all set to reopen for classes 6 to 12 on Monday, after the summer vacation.

Owing to the rising temperatures and the heat across the State in several districts, the School Education department had postponed the reopening of schools from earlier this month.

As schools gear up to welcome students, doctors have called for precautionary measures to be kept in mind so that students can stay protected in the heat. “Children should not be exposed to direct sunlight, and it will help if schools schedule P.T. periods at the end of the day, avoiding 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. It is important that students are seated in well-ventilated classrooms that aren’t very crowded,” said Rema Chandramohan, Director, Institute of Child Health. 

She said that apart from remembering to stay hydrated and drink water, children could carry buttermilk and fruits, and avoid fruit juices. “Intense thirst, feeling hot to touch, extreme tiredness, and even fainting can occur if a student is dehydrated. The best thing to do in this case would be to make the student lie down flat with legs raised, and use a wet cloth to bring down the temperature,” Dr Rema added.

Dr. P Kuganantham, Public Health Specialist, and Consultant-Social Medicine & Infectious Diseases, SRM Institutes for Medical Science (SIMS) said that for the heat,  students should carry clean drinking water to stay hydrated, and wear cotton clothes. 

Outlining several other aspects that the school education department, as well as public organisations, parent teacher associations, panchayats, municipalities and corporations should focus on with regard to health, sanitation, and infrastructure, Dr. Kuganantham said that over head water tanks, lower water tanks, sumps should be cleaned with bleaching powder, covered with air-tight lids to prevent mosquito breeding.

“Protected drinking water facilities with filters should be set up for 500 students each at pivotal points. Refreshment centers should serve only foods approved by the Food Standard & Safety Authority of India (FSSAI),” he said. He further emphasised on the installation of first-aid kits with medicine equipment being made available according to the number of students.