Recently, in a direct appeal to parents, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that it is “vitally important” to get children back into schools after the lengthy Covid-19 lockdown kept the students away from the classrooms for a longer period. His appeal comes as different parts of the country prepare for the end of the summer break and the start of a new school term, with Scotland and Northern Ireland first in line followed by England and Wales from next week.
In a joint statement issued by England’s Chief Medical Officer (CMO) and his counterparts from different parts of the United Kingdom, Johnson said the risk posed to children from the deadly virus is very small and being kept away from classrooms any longer would be far more damaging to their well-being.
The CMO said, the risk of contracting Covid-19 in school is very small and it is far more damaging for a child’s development and their health and well-being to be away from school any longer. This is why it’s vitally important that we get our children back into the classroom to learn and to be with their friends. Nothing will have a greater effect on the life chances of our children than returning to school.
He added, “I have previously spoken about the moral duty to reopen schools to all pupils safely, and I would like to thank the school staff who have spent the summer months making classrooms COVID-secure in preparation for a full return in September. We have always been guided by our scientific and medical experts, and we now know far more about coronavirus than we did earlier this year.”
UK Education Secretary Gavin Williamson wrote in The Sunday Times’ to reassure parents and pupils that schools were “ready for them” and that the autumn return to schools was “more important than ever”.
I want to see children back at school next month, and I expect the Prime Minister to deliver on that commitment. However, the commitment is now at serious risk after a week of chaos, confusion and incompetence from the government, said Labour Leader Keir Starmer.
Source: Business Standard
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